


Worlds collide

by Number_Twelve



Category: Trolls (2016), Trolls: World Tour
Genre: A load of songs helped me create this, Broppy (subtle at first), F/M, Far from home, Humans can be rather bad, I suck at tagging, Old characters, a wild goose chase, new characters - Freeform, someone save me, um, very bad, worlds collide, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 21,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23915044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Number_Twelve/pseuds/Number_Twelve
Summary: What happens when Trolls discover their world is not the only one? Several Trolls from different tribes have been going missing and no one knows why; that is, untill a Pop Troll by the name of Hope, dissapears and finds a new world beneath their own.
Relationships: Branch/Poppy (Trolls)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 14





	1. New worlds

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Introverted_Survivalist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Introverted_Survivalist/gifts).



> Hi!  
> I have decided to write this after getting into Trolls fanfiction thanks to an awesome writer named and_i_wanna_roar! I suggest you look at her stories and soon you'll see why I have decided to gift this to her :)  
> Anyways, I think the average of time between each post will be at least a week-- or less if I have time!   
> I'll also be posting this in whatpadd (and make some fanart for it) so if anyone has a wattpad account or simply wants to see it posted there, my wattpad username is on my bio :)  
> Thank you for reading my stories and I hope you enjoy this one!  
> PS: as for this chapter, I wrote it listening to All the Stars by SZA and another singer.

It was dark. Very dark. And yet, Hope the Pop Troll, Branch's distant cousin, walked along the dark path of the forest, a small messenger bag slung over a shoulder. She had light red skin and freckle covered cheeks, and her short-ish flaming red hair was always tied up in a high, messy ponytail on her head. She always wore t-shirts and trousers, never bothering to wear any dresses. She never wanted to admit it, but she resembled her older cousin in quite a few ways. Unlike the other Trolls, she was able to distinguish sarcasm from truth. She preferred quiet (that didn't mean she didn't attend any of the parties hosted by Poppy, their Queen) and she had been questioned many times when she had been young. She never really got along with he cousin, bit she didn't hate him either. She, like him, had once been colorless. But she kept the reason why to herself. Her colors returned as soon as peace was made with the Bergens, relieved not to have to fear being eaten by one (no, she feared being stepped on by one). The young Troll glanced up at the dark sky, looking up to the twinkling stars and asking herself how they were. She shook her head wildly, looking away from the night sky. Forcing herself not to think about them. The hand she had around her bag's strap tightened. 

Hope hopped over a fallen log, looking around her surroundings with her bright, green eyes. The moon shone down upon the land, so there was no need to take a lamp with her. She liked nights like these, when she could be alone and not surrounded by the noise all around her. She had time to think. To reflect on the point of her existence. Hope ducked underneath a branch, a couple of leaves tangling with her hair. She was too distracted to notice how her foot slipped on mud and she fell forward with a shriek. She expected to hit the forest ground, but she found herself falling down a large hole. And it seemed to go on and on. She yelled, trying to grab hold of something, helpelessly twisting in midair as she plummeted down farther into the darkness.  
"HELP ME!!!" she screamed, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. Her heart was bouncing like a tenis ball inside her chest and her breath was ragged as she yelled for help. And the hole went deeper and deeper, the darkness pressing against Hope's overwhelmed eyes. 

And then the hole reached a stop. Hope's breath was slammed out of her when she hit the bottom. Her fall was half cushioned by a heap of leaves and moss. Still, it was a painful fall. Hope remained on her back for a small while before slowly rising to sit, her muscles aching. He belly seemed to have flipped. She was breathing heavily, her heart no even stopping it's racing beat. She felt like all of her dinner would be out in a matter of seconds. She slowly, very slowly, crawled to her feet. She groaned in pain as she stretched her sore back, looking around. It was still dark. It was very dark. Hope patted her hips and found the small, tiny lamp she kepr slung on her trouser's waistbands. She unhooked it, grateful that she had been her usal careful self instead of being careless and she switched it on, holding it at arm's lenght in front of her.

The world around her was filled with darkness that only the little lamp could defeat. She had landed on a soft pile of leaves and moss, and she was incredibly grateful for it. She then remebered that other Trolls from the different tribes were also going missing and she immediatly wondered if they had also fallen down such peculiar holes.   
She also wondered if she would see any of her friends again. The Pop village. Her cousin. She let out a shaky breath and pushed these thoughts away from her mind and instead focused on what she should do. The young Troll clambered forward on the pile, keeping her lamp extended in front of her. Soon she found herself standing on soily ground. It was ice cold, and she experienced a slight shiver. The kind she would get when she thought of-  
"Concentrate, you idiot." Hope whispered to herself, slowly walking forward, testing the ground with each step. Her ears were pricked, ready to catch any sound that could mean a danger- or a friend. She held the lamp ahead of her always, the only light in the dark keeping her from curling up and crying her eyes out. Her breath was hitched and she expected any kind of critter to jump out at her. Even her own shadow petrified her for a momment, thinking it could be another creature. She had just turned a corner when she heard a soft, shaky voice say: "Hello?" Hipe froze on the spot, her free hand slowly opening her messenger bag's flap to reach in for the small knife she kept in a hidden pocket.  
"Please don't let this be another allucination." the voice sounded so desperate and terrified that Hope wondered if it was a threat at all. However, the Troll still took out the small knife.   
"Who's there?" she asked i her strongest voice. A sharp intake of breath.  
"Please don't leave me. I've been here for so long and I feel lonely. Don't leave." the voice pleaded. Hope bit her lower lip and she crept forward, her grasp tightening on the small knife. The circle of light fell upon a figure. It was another Troll, who was probably another Pop Troll. He had dark turquoise skin and white hair in the same style as her cousin's and wore denim overalls. His back was proped up agaist one of the walls and he was cradling his left arm. His dark eyes were wide and afraid, and they filled with joy when the Troll saw Hope.  
"Who are you?" Hope asked.   
"Casey. Please don't leave me. I can't walk." The Troll said. Hope raised her thi eyebrows.  
"Why would I leave you behind?" she asked.  
"Because that's exactly what happened to me after I ended up here." Casey said.  
"Why can't you walk?" Hope asked.  
"I twisted my ankle when I fell. Did you fall too?"   
"Yeah. How long have tou been in here for, anyways?" Hope asked.  
"A long time. I don't know exacly. All I know is that it has been at least nine hours." Casey replied.  
"How did you know?"  
Casey held up his arm, showing her the little wristband with the flower.  
"I counted them for each hour." he said. Hope nodded, stepping forward.  
"Smart. Do you know were the way out is?" she asked, crouching ddown on one knee to look at him.  
"No." Casey replied sadly. "I twisted my ankle, remeber?"  
"Oh." Hope bit her lower lip.  
"You won't leave me here, will you?" Casey asked fearfully.  
"No. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to." Hope sighed. "Let's get out of here." 

Soon, she was walking slowly, Casey's left arm slung over her shoulders as he limped along to keep up with her. He was surprisingly light, but it was hard to hold the lamp in fron to her.  
"Are you a Pop Troll?" Casey asked her after a long silence.  
"Yeah. You?" Hope asked, suddenly curious.  
"I am also a Pop Troll. The odd thing is why I havn't ever met you before."  
"I am a loner." was the anwser Hope offered.  
"Oh, like Branch!" Casey said. "I remeber that not long ago he had no colors at all and he never went to any of the parties Queen Poppie hosted."  
"Ha. Coincidence that he just happens to be my cousin." Hope said in a flat tone.  
"Oh. Sorry." Casey muttered.  
"You were telling the truth. should you be?" Casey didn't reply to that. They fell into another uneasy silence. 

Their bracets glowed, marking another hour. They didn't hug at all and just kept walking. Then the tunnel began to tilt up.  
"Yes!" Casey ssid happily, "We will be back home in no time!" even Hope was really hoping that the other Troll was right. The tunnel began to lighten up and as they turned a corner, they saw the bright end of the tunnel. Hope suddenly grew with excitement as she pulled Casey along. She didn't have to worry. They would be-  
Home. Hope stood at the mouth of the hole, looking around a brand new world. It was not her home. This new world looked far more unrealistic than theirs. The trees were massive, reaching higher than anything she had ever seen. She then spotted the sun. It had no face. It was blank.  
"What is this place?" Casey asked, all hope having vanished off his voice. Hope forced her tears to stay locked up in her eyes.  
"I don't know." she replied, her heart deflating all over again. For the fist time in years, Hope felt lost. She wanted to sit and cry, but she had to keep calm for Casey' s sake and her own as well.  
She couldn't break down when she was in a world she didn't even know.

And back at the Pop Troll's village, Branch had just noticed that two more Trolls had gone missing. And one of them was his own cousin.


	2. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello once more! It's Mal WRITING to you and posting a new chapter!   
> I had an idea in which people read the chapter and then suggest a song, or some music that would go well with each chapter! You can post it in the comments :) Looking forward to (let's call it) Playlist Suggestions. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!   
> PS: I had to rewrite it two times because on the first it got deleted. I have amazing luck, am I right? 😶😶😶  
> PSS: Just wanted to warn the readers: in this fanfic, Branch still hasn't told Poppy he loves her. However, he DID try to tell her before like in World Tour. Poppy still does't know about it, tho.

It had happened over a few years ago, when the Bergens were still focused on gaining happiness by eating Trolls. Hope had been young then- young and stupid, that is. She tried to hide her sadness behind well pasted smiles and happiness- but in the end, she lost all her colors altogether. She disliked to be in loud places. In fact, she preferred being lonely than being with other Trolls. One day, the young Pop Troll decided to take a short trip into the forest to keep away from one of the latest parties, hosted by Princess Poppy. At that time, she thought of parties as death sentences. Bergens would find them because of their idiocy. So Hope left the village for the time being, walker deeper into the woods. And then her foot slipped and she was falling down a rocky hill. She ended up stopping at the edge of a ravine, her arms and legs covered in scratches. She then realized that her foot was trapped and that she was unable to stand. And then she froze with fear, her tiny heart accelerating with each second that passed. She could hear steps walking towards her. She was shaking now, trying to pull her foot free off the stone trapping it. The steps were coming closer and closer and she was now getting desperate. Then a miracle happened.

Branch stepped out of the ravine and grabbed her arms, pulling her until her foot was no longer trapped. He was able to pull her deeper into the ravine, and the two of them crouched there for what felt like ages, their breathing hitched as they tried to listen. Hope was trembling, fear running through her bones, wondering whether she should make a run for it. But Branch's firm hand on her shoulder kept her from doing so. She could see the Bergen coming closer and closer, its steps rattling the ground beneath their feet. Even her cousin seemed to be holding his breath. The Bergen didn't seem to notice them and it walked past. They still waited, in case it would go back. Then Branch let out a long, shaky breath.  
"Why in the world were you trampling around this late?" he asked her with a whisper.   
"How about you?" she shot back, not wanting to admit that he had saved her. He sighed, dragging his hand down his face with an ever-suffering sigh.  
"That was stupid. You could have gotten yourself killed," Branch hissed. He was colorless like her, but the fire in his eyes seemed to be a flaming red.  
"But I didn't, did I?" Hope said, glaring back at him.  
"So? You were told MANY times not to go walking around in the dark unaccompanied."  
"So what should I have been doing? Partying like the others without a care and wait for a Bergen to pop up?" Hope snapped. Branch glared at her.   
"I guess you have a point there," he said, "But you have to be smarter than this."  
"Where was I supposed to go, then?" Hope snapped.  
"My bunker, for an instance?" Branch snapped.  
"Oh, sure. But guess where that is? In the middle of the forest!" Hope said. "And you never want to have any contact with any other Troll! So what's the point of even trying? You would have told me to go back to the village, obviously!"   
"You are my cousin. I may be colorless, but I am not heartless." Branch said angrily. Hope shook her head and crawled out of the ravine, ignoring the sting of her new cuts. Branch didn't even follow her. He just stayed there in the ravine, watching as his cousin walked away without knowing that she would be walking into danger's open arms. 

Then Poppy went to his bunker with the news that the village had been attacked and everything changed. He had told her he wouldn't be going with her, but he had in the end. Not only because he didn't want Poppy to die (the Troll wouldn't be able to survive longer than a day on her own), but because he knew that Hope had also been taken. And then everything changed, he got his colors back and he was supposed to be living happily ever after- and then there was the entire world tour fiasco and he just couldn't stand Poppy going off by herself. Once again, he had left his cousin in danger. And he almost lost Poppy, too. And then the tribes lost their music strings but not their music and everything seemed to go back to normality- and then Trolls from all over the tribes were disappearing. Branch felt like he would NEVER be able to have a single moment of calm. And then he found that Hope couldn't be found along with another Pop Troll and this really was the part in his life in which he asked himself if his life would ever be peaceful ever again. Even Poppy seemed to agree with him on this.  
"We need to find those Trolls ASP." she stood on a high boulder, speaking out to her Trolls. "It's been a month since these things began to happen and we haven't found the source. But no Troll will be left behind- and that means we need to work harder to find those missing Trolls." Branch stood not far from her, his hands clenched at his sides and he tried to calm down the rate of his racing heart.   
He couldn't believe the universe was putting him through this AGAIN. He considered if shouting up "ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" to the heavens would work. Of course, this was a sarcastic thought and he wouldn't actually do it (unless everything seemed to be lost; THEN he would).   
"So, we need to form some search patrols to find out more whereabouts of our missing Trolls." Poppy's words brought him back to reality.   
"Who's in what patrol?" one of the gathered Trolls, an eye-scorching lime green skinned troll.  
"That's when Branch comes in." Poppy turned to him, gesturing for him to join her at the boulder. He did so, stepping up to stand next to her.  
"Well, first of all, we need to find out where and when they disappeared."

XXXX

Hope and Casey stood at the exit of the tunnel, dumbstruck with what they had found at the other end. They had walked through countless tunnels and reached the end, finding themselves looking at the most unrealistic world they had ever seen.  
"This has to be a nightmare." Casey muttered. He glanced at Hope. "Could you be kind and pinch my arm?"  
"Quiet. We don't know if there are any critters hiding." Hope said quietly.   
"I don't know how they could fit in here." Casey muttered. Hope slowly and carefully set him down by the exit wall. She then stepped out onto what she assumed was sunlight. There was a sharp crack as her foot touched the ground, making her flinch involuntarily. That was not a natural noise the ground should make. At least in their world. She looked up at the thin, mammoth sized trees that reached up for the sky all around her. She turned to Casey with a frown. He shrugged.   
"What should we do? Do you think we could return by walking along some more tunnels?" he asked.  
"No. We might not even find an exit if we do that." Hope said. "We need to find out if there are any Trolls living here. And fast." Hope said, walking back to Casey, each step creating a sharp crack.   
"Uh, Hope?" Casey asked.  
"What?"  
"What is that thing?" Hope whirled around and her heart nearly stopped. A large, furry creature, much, much bigger than them, watched them from afar. It had big, pitch black eyes and rounded ears. It's fur was brown with smaller spots of white. It had a large array of whiskers and it kept twitching its nose at them. Stranger still was its tail, which looked like a pink rope.   
"I have no idea. but it may be dangerous." Hope replied quietly, not taking her eyes off the creature.   
"I don't know. It looks kind of cute." Casey said in a startlingly loud voice.   
"Don't be so loud!" Hope hissed. The creature blinked at them, it's nose never ceasing its twitching movements. Hope slowly backed away to stand next to Casey.   
"It's not even trying to kill us. I bet it's friendly." The other Troll said. "Hey! Little cutie! What are you?" Hope wasn't even able to silence him when a sudden movement caught her eye. Before she could tell Casey to shut up, a flaming red thing pounced out of hiding, landing on the white creature with a sharp growl. They heard the first creature squeak with fear before the larger animal bit down on it and it fell silent- and still. Hope knew in an instant that this new animal was NOT friendly. She turned to Casey with the intentions to warn him not to say anything. She then knew that she wouldn't have to. Casey's mouth was firmly clamped and his eyes were wide with fear.  
"Don't you DARE make a sound." Hope hissed, crouching next to him. He nodded his head furiously. The animal raised its head- and to Hope's immense dread- looked right at them with clearly, yellow intelligent eyes. The creature looked nothing alike the critters she was used to, but it had killed with ease. She didn't want to know what it could do to them. To her surprise and relief, the creature picked up its kill and turned tail, melting back into the shadows. Casey, who had been holding his breath, sighed loudly, his entire body releasing all the tension.   
"Thank the sun it didn't attack us." he said shakily.  
"Yeah." Hope said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get somewhere safe." She checked for the fiftieth time that her messenger's bag was still there and then pulled Casey to his feet. She still felt sick thanks to what she had just seen. Their feet left crunching noises as they stepped out of the entrance and into the sunlight.  
"What should we do?" Casey asked.   
"Step one, find other Trolls. Step two, get back home. Somehow." Hope said, hating how her voice wavered at the last word. Casey nodded, thankfully missing that detail. They then began to walk towards the dark. Hope had already taken out her small knife, holding it at the ready. And also to assure herself that they weren't absolutely hopeless.

XXXX

Branch felt hopeless. There was no sign of his cousin ANYWHERE. He had personally looked in her own little home for any clothes and found not a single clue of where she could be. Poppy seemed to notice his hopelessness. She patted his back.  
"We will find them." she said quietly.   
"I hope." he replied, looking into her kind, pink eyes. She nodded and walked off to talk to one of the returning search parties that he had organized. Branch looked around at Hope's small home, his gaze landing on the window. His eyes widened. The forest. He had sent some of the Trolls in, but he wondered if they had even dared going far inside (probably not, he guessed). And one thing he knew about his cousin was that his cousin liked quiet, secluded spots.   
And the center of the forest was a perfect place.

"Poppy, I think I know where they might have gone to." He said excitedly. He was hoping with all his heart that it was true... but there was also the chance that he wouldn't find her. He had lost his parents, his grandmother... If he didn't find Hope, he would loose his remaining family member.


	3. The search

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

Branch worried at his lip. The forest was getting darker as the trees began to grow closer the farther the forest went. Branch's every sense was at the ready. His ears and eyes were alert in case a critter suddenly jumped at the Trolls following him. Poppy walked right behind him, and behind her were another five Trolls: Suki, Biggie (with Mr. Dinkles), Guy Diamond, Tiny Diamond and Smidge. He had a pointed stick clenched in his left hand and he had a small rucksack slung over his back. Poppy had her own small bag slung over her shoulder (it had been hard to convince her that she wouldn't need her scrap book) as so did all the other Trolls. He knew they were well prepared (or at least he ASSUMED they were) but he still felt unprepared for what he might find.  
"Wow, this is downright spooky," Suki commented, readjusting the headphones covering her ears.  
"I would rather not know what might jump at us," Biggie said, clutching Mr. Dinkles to his chest.  
"Shhh, all of you!" Branch hissed. The other Trolls fell quiet behind him. If someone knew about the dangers of the forest, that was Branch himself. And if he shushed them all, there was a good reason (well, duh, obviously). Branch stopped walking and crouched on one knee. The other Trolls gathered around him.  
"What is it, Branch?" Poppy asked. Branch didn't answer in words; he held up a flaming red hair that stood out on the dark forest floor.  
"I think that my hypothesis was right," he said.  
"Don't want to destroy the mood, but what is a hypowhatisit?" tiny Diamond asked, cocking his head. Branch scowled.  
"It's a word Branch uses a lot." Guy Diamond said.  
"Never mind that now. We have a clue and that means that someone WAS here." Poppy said, turning her head to look at Branch. She gave him a smile that made his heart skip a beat and his stomach flip, "Well done, Branch."  
Branch stood again, turning away from the Trolls and studying the forest around him- as well as hiding the blush that was slowly creeping up his cheeks. They continued to talk in quiet voices, debating whether any of the Trolls could have been here. He frowned when he saw a muddy heap. Unusual. He slowly walked to it and crouched there. The mud had been disturbed, a long line etched on the nearly smooth surface. Then something caught his eyes. A gleam. A sparkle. He parted a bit of mud and held up a small, green stone framed with a golden line. He had seen this before.  
Sitting around his cousin's neck hooked to a silver chair. His gaze traveled up the short line of mud and then he leaned forward, brushing away leaf litter and twigs. What he found at the end of the muddy line was a small hole. But big enough for a Troll to fall through. He peered down, his eyes looking for any sign of his cousin. All he saw was a dark void.  
"Branch?" Poppy's voice dragged him back to reality and he looked away to find all the others looking at him with curious looks in their eyes. Branch moved away from the hole and turned to look at them, pocketing the green stone.  
"She fell." he said, crossing his arms. He nodded to the hole. "She feel in that hole."  
"Do you think that's where all the Trolls have been disappearing?" Smidge asked.  
"Probably." Branch said with a curt nod. Poppy clapped her hands.  
"Great! Let's go!" she said, walking to the hole with that idiotic, carefree smile on her face. Branch stopped her.  
"Are you CRAZY? We don't even know what's down there!" he said. Poppy arched her eyebrows.  
"Uh, yeah. That's what's so exciting about it!" she said. Branch scowled, tempted to roll his eyes and say something sarcastic. But the other Trolls would think he actually meant it and then he would be regretting having opened his goddamn mouth.  
"It might be exciting for you, but it could also be dangerous." he said instead, "And we won't be of any use to those lost Trolls then." Poppy gave him a thoughtful look.  
"Then we could... use our hair?" she asked. Branch released an ever-suffering sigh. It was impossible to make these Trolls see reason.  
"That's not the-" he began to say, but Smidge was already slipping past him.  
"I'll see you at the other eeeeeeeeeeeend!" she finished her sentence with a shout as she jumped in. They could hear her yells getting farther and farther away each passing second as they crowded around the hole. The hole didn't seem to have an ending at all. Then they heard a loud thump coming from the bottom that sounded loud to their ears. There was a long silence.  
"I wanna do it again!" they heard Smidge's tiny voice say from the bottom. Branch and Poppy exchanged glances.  
"Looks like there's no danger at the bottom!" Poppy said happily.  
And then she jumped in.

Branch clutched the edge of the hole, his fingers digging into the mud as he heard Poppy scream happily. The thump that followed seemed like thunder to his ears as he held his breath. He caught himself hoping she had not died. A long beat of silence passed before they heard her voice.  
"It's fine! You can come down! There's a sort of leafy pile to cushion your falls!" the pink Troll's voice called. Then went Guy Diamond and Tiny Diamond (who was whooping all the way to the bottom), followed by Suki (who was also whooping) and finally Biggie (who first got stuck in the hole, making Branch having to push him, and then he screamed all the way to the bottom) with Mr. Dinkles (who was by far the only silent one). Branch stood up, preparing himself for the fall and hoping that he would be alive by the time he hit the ground. He heard the snap of a twig and turned his head. His heart nearly exploded when he found a spider critter staring at him. The thing hissed and began to move towards him. and, of course, the only choice he had was to jump into the dark hole. He was soon falling with his arms and legs spread out, unable to see a single thing thanks to the darkness. He just kept falling and falling, unable to say a single thing due to the wind hitting his face as he plummeted down. And then the wind was brutally kicked out of him as he hit a leafy surface with a yelp, bouncing and rolling right off onto a cold, earthy floor.  
"Branch?" Poppy's voice asked from somewhere on his left. He couldn't see a single thing. It was too dark. He slowly pushed himself to his feet with a groan.  
"I'm fine." he responded.  
"Can you see anything?" that was Biggie's voice.  
"No. But the fall was SO cool! I want to do it again!" that was Smidge's voice (unsurprisingly, of course). Branch patted his hair, picking leaves out of it. What in the world was that?  
"Did anyone bring a lantern or something?" Poppy asked. In response, two small, pink lights turned on, lighting up Suki's face.  
"They are new. They also have disco ball effects." she explained, tapping them. Poppy appeared out of the dark to stand next to her friend.  
"They are really pretty!" the pink Troll said.  
"Thanks," Suki replied with a grin.  
"Never mind how pretty those lights look now. We need to get out of this place." Branch said, making his way to the the other two.  
"That might prove to be a challenge." A new, unfamiliar voice said, making them all jump. Biggie appeared besides them and so did Smidge and Guy Diamond, Tiny Diamond sitting on his arms.  
"Who was that?" Branch asked in a voice he hoped was a little threatening. They heard the clip clop of hooves and a Country Music Troll appeared in their little circle of light. Her old, denim dungaree was dirty with earthy soil and smudges and she had her dark brown hair in messy pigtails, a brown cowboy hat perched on her head. Her skin was dark orange and she had various green flecks on her cheeks. She had a banjo slung over her back.  
"Aye, there. Me name is Cacti." she said with a strong accent.

Branch had his reasons about not being able to completely trusting new Trolls. Do I have to remind everyone about Creek? Or for an instance, the Yodelers who had dressed up as a Country Troll? He narrowed his eyes at the Troll in front of him and crossed his arms.   
"Hi! My name is Poppy, Queen of the Pop Trolls!" Poppy said cheerfully.  
"I can see," Cacti said, nodding at the crown on Poppy's pink hair.  
"What are you doing here?" Branch asked in a suspicious tone.   
"Same as you, I guess. Finding a way out of this place." the Country Troll replied, looking at him with hard amber eyes. "But it's proving to be a well made challenge, mate."  
"Could you help us?" Poppy asked. Branch frowned.   
"Are you sure we can trust her?" he asked her. Poppy raised an eyebrow at him.  
"The tribes are no longer mad at each other, Branch. I bet Cacti also fell down a hole like this one." she told him.  
"Your pink friend is right, mate. I fell down a hole while I was out trying to find inspiration for me new song." Cacti said, gesturing to her banjo with a thumb. "It was indignant. And I had no light with me."  
"I know what you mean. We went looking for our missing Pop Trolls." Poppy said. The other Trolls (excepting Branch, who was still unconvinced that the Country Troll could be trustworthy) nodded in agreement.  
"We've also been missing Trolls of ours, I'm afraid." Cacti said, amber eyes flashing. "For weeks."  
"So have the other tribes." Poppy said. "We need to find out why, though."  
"It probably has to do with these holes." Biggie said.  
"It is an odd chain of events, I think," Cacti said, tapping one of her hooves against the ground in a show of anger. There was a sudden rumble as the ground shook beneath their feet.   
"What was that?" Biggie whispered, clutching poor Mr. Dinkles tightly. Cacti seemed pissed out as she glanced down the tunnel.  
"We have to move or it will catch up to us!" she said.   
"Uh, what is 'it'?" Branch asked, but Cacti was already galloping into the dark, unhooking a small lamp from her dungaree, turning it on and holding it out in front of her. Suki was quick to follow, and since she was the one with the light apart from Cacti, the others were quick to run after. Branch took out a pointed stick from his rucksack with agility as he ran at the back of the group, ready to protect them (and Poppy. Poppy, of course he had to protect) from whatever was going toward them. Cacti was quick, turning and jumping down different tunnels. The Pop Trolls were quick as well, adrenaline pumping into their veins as they ran after the Country Troll.   
"Light!" Guy Diamond suddenly cried, pointing to another tunnel.  
"An exit!" Cacti said, doubling down. "Go! Go! Go!" the Pop Trolls hurried down the tunnel. Branch glanced behind him. He couldn't see a single shape, but he knew that something BIG was chasing after them.   
"Go, Pop Troll!" Cacti said, pushing him forward and running behind him. He ran after the others, stick clutched tight in his hand (he wasn't sure how it would help, but in some way, he was sure, it would). Guy Diamond had been right: they were nearing an exit. But then he noticed that the other Trolls had stopped by the entrance.  
"What are you doing?! RUN!" Cacti cried, seeing what he had. But she slowed down too when she saw the world on the other side of the exit. Branch pushed his way to the fron, staring at the mammoth trees and the weird, brown ground.   
It looked unrealistic compared to their own world.   
This was not home.

They heard a guttural growl and turned around to see a big, furry animal rapidly advancing on them. Fire was in its eyes and Branch knew that they had somehow angered it.  
"GO!"He said, pushing the other Trolls through. They stepped out, scattering into the hiding places available. Branch spotted a massive trunk and ran to it, his feet crunching on the odd ground with each step. He was quick to hide behind it, his heart thumping frantically and his chest heaving with each breath. He stayed as still as he could as to not make those weird crunching noises when he moved. He could hear sniffing and loud, snapping crunches as the creature stepped out of the exit and into the odd world. He slowly raised his head up to look and his mouth fell open. That was a new critter. It had black and white fur that stood like spikes as it tossed a pointed head from side to side, sharp, dangerous teeth bared as it looked for the Trolls it had been chasing. A few beats passed before it finally returned into the tunnel with a huff. Even then, none of the Trolls dared to break cover in case it decided to come back out. A long time passed before Branch slowly raised to his feet.  
"Poppy?" He asked.   
"Here." She had been hiding behind a massive stone. "Everyone?" the other Trolls slowly came out of hiding, trembling and muttering.  
"What in the world was that?" Smidge asked.   
"A really cool creature. Wonder if it would be good to ride." Tiny Diamond said, poking his head out of Guy Diamond's hair.   
"Don't even think of doing that, Tiny D." Guy told him, reaching up and gently taking him out.  
"Awwww."  
"Well, I know that I don't want to ever see it again." Biggie said shakily.   
"I know just what you mean, friend." Suki agreed.   
"Well, the important thing is that we found an exit." Branch said, stepping out from behind the trunk and leaning against it. He wondered what creatures his Cousin could have encountered. He even doubted if he would be able to find her.   
"We need to get moving. It could get back." Cacti said, placing her cowboy hat back on her head and swishing her dark brown tail.   
"I think Cacti is right. Can we go now?" Biggie asked. "Actually, what if there are more critters like that one out here?"  
"Please don't scare me more than necessary," Suki groaned. She had turned off her lights in order to save the energy for later on.   
"Look!" that was Smidge. She had ACTUALLY gone to the exit of the tunnel- and found footprints. "Footprints!"  
Branch sighed. This was going to be interesting.


	4. Hope is hopeless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta say, this chapter was quite fun to write. I hope you guys enjoy! I don't know if I will be able to update tomorrow, but I will try.

Hope had never felt so tired. They had gone on walking for hours on end and everything was SO big. Their feet kept sinking into the ground below them, which cracked under their small feet. Casey tried to put some weight on his good foot as to not make the journey hell for poor Hope, but even them it was difficult for both Trolls. And that was not the only problem; They had come across many terrifying critters, every single one bigger than them. Some were skeleton-like creatures, with spindly legs like the spiders they knew, but with out any color but black and terrifying pincers. Hope had never felt more terrified in her entire life. She wished she had stayed in her little hanging home and ignored the impulse of going into the forest alone at night. She regretted having fallen down the dark hole, regretted having found an exit to this goddamn world, regretted not listening to Branche's advice. This made her scowl. He had been right about not going out in the night. That pissed her off, obviously, because he had said the obvious and she had still done it. She shook her head, pushing these thoughts to the back of her head. She would have time thinking about them latter on.  
"Are you okay?" Casey asked worriedly. Hope laughed grimly.  
"Of course I am! This is amazing!" she said sarcastically. But like I have mentioned before, the other Trolls are not to good at distinguishing sarcasm. So it wasn't surprising when Casey frowned, surprised.  
"I thought you didn't like it here." he said.   
"I was being sarcastic." Hope grumbled.  
"Really? I really thought you were being-"  
"Just shut up and keep walking." 

They walked in awkward silence, Hope glancing around them every time they heard a crack or a rustle coming from their surroundings.  
"Man, you are a paranoid one." Casey commented, obviously having noticed this.  
"And you are a talkative one. Can't you keep quiet for longer than five minutes?" Hope snapped.   
"Uh, no. That's one of my qualities, actually. I can just talk, and talk, and talk-"  
"Could you be quiet?"  
"-and talk, and talk, and talk, and talk-"  
"Seriously! Shut up! I think I heard something!"  
"-talk, and talk all DAY LONG, as I am sure you can-"  
"Casey. BE. QUIET." At this he finally shut his mouth, hearing the urgency in Hope's voice. She had stopped walking, looking around her. Casey leaned his weight on his good leg, lifting his pointed ears and staying silent.   
"Uh, can you hear something? I can't." he said after a few beats of silent. Just then, there was a rustle and both of them jumped. They both remained silent, their muscles stiff as they waited. Hope felt her heart begin to beat rapidly for the fiftieth time since they had gotten here. She realized she had been holding her breath and she slowly exhaled, her eyes darting around her surroundings. She caught a flash of blue in one of the bushes and she jumped, surprising Casey.  
"What's wrong?" he asked shakily.  
"We are being watched, Cas." she growled, extracting her knife.   
"By who?"he asked, but the words had barely left his mouth when something small and quick sailed out of nowhere and hit home on the Pop Troll's arm. Both of them looked at it with shock for a moment.  
"Uh, what IS this. I am feeling a little..." Casey swayed, lifting a hand up to his forehead. He actually GIGGLED. "I'm feeling haaaaaaaaaaaaaayzy." he crashed to the floor, eyes unfocused and an idiotic smile on his face. He mumbled nonsense under his breath.  
"Casey? Casey! Get up, for heaven's sake!" Hope fell to her knees next to him, shaking him. He was already unconscious. She felt a tiny little pinch on her own arm and looked down to find a tiny, little splinter-like thing etched on her arm. She quickly extracted it, but it was too late. Her mind felt groggy. Her eyes were loosing focus.   
"OH COME oooooooooooon..." she was careening forward, her vision filling with weird, yet pretty colors. She reached out to grab a tiny, red dot with her hand but it felt heavy. She felt tired. She heard a series of sharp cracks on the ground and was able to see a pair of blue feet.   
"They don't look very dangerous to me." a voice said, coming in and out of Hope's focus.   
"That's because of the darts." a new voice said with a laugh. "What are we gonna do about them?" Hope didn't hear the reply to this question, since her mind was already dipping into darkness. She managed a tiny giggle before slipping out of consciousness altoguether.

Hope's eyes felt heavy. She herself felt heavy. Everything felt heavy. Still, she forced them open. A stab of light hit them and she shut them again, refusing to open them. It had hurt. She felt incredibly groggy. She didn't know where she was. No, she waned to go back into the darkness that had wrapped around her for so long. She tried to, but with every beat that passed, she felt more and more awake. She just HAD to open her eyes. So she did. And what she found surprised her.  
Her hands were tied. So were her feet. Her eyes slowly regained focus and she found that she was sitting in a dark little room with rough walls. It was almost circular, and barely any sunlight penetrated whatever was keeping the light out. She wondered why had it looked so bright to her the first time. Then she remembered what had happened.  
"Ca- Casey?" she whispered. In reply, she heard a small groan. But she couldn't see her fellow Pop Troll. "Casey?"  
"Is tha- that you, Ho- Hope?" that was Casey's voice all right, and it was behind her.  
"Where are we?" Hope asked, suddenly fearful.  
"I don't know. My mind feels weird." the Troll replied. There was a short silence.  
"I hate this. I hate EVERYTHING." Hope growled, struggling against her restraints.  
"Are you being sarcastic?" Casey asked.  
"NO." Hope growled, not ceasing her struggling.  
"Oh." Casey mumbled.   
"We need to get out of here NOW, Casey. Can you see my bag?"  
"You mean this one?" a blue Troll with a dark blue body covered in lime green and baby blue markings and long, orange dreadlocks. And he was holding up Hope's messenger bag.  
"A Reggaeton Troll?" Hope said, unimpressed. "I didn't expect to see any in this place."   
"Of course you didn't." The Troll said. "We came from above."  
"Okay, guys," Casey said, twisting his neck to look at them, "Uh, we are not dangerous so you really don't have to keep us tied up."  
"Then what is this?" the Troll held up Hope's knife. "A sharp toy?"  
"It's called a knife and I need it. Now, if you will kindly give it back, or at least cut these stupid ropes-"  
"Not until you tell us what you were doing here." the Troll said. Hope released an annoyed sigh, her nerves burning.   
"Us?" Casey asked, oblivious to this. As if in response, another three Reggaeton Trolls appeared before them. One was green with red markings and she had a ring on her left ear, the other was dark orange with blue markings and the third was red with green swirls on her skin. All of them had the same dreadlocks.   
"Nice to meet you," Casey said. The other Trolls exchanged looks.  
"That one doesn't look too dangerous." the green Reggaeton Troll said, pointing at Casey.   
"We won't let them go until we have figured out how they got here." the first Troll said.   
"We both fell into holes and then found ourselves here." Casey said quickly.   
"Looks like the same thing that happened to those Funk Trolls we saw yesterday." the red troll said.   
"Now you know what happened. Kindly. Cut. The. Ropes." Hope said.   
"Fine. But I suggest you don't go out this late at night." the first said, walking forward and slicing away at their ropes with Hope's knife. As soon as he had finished, he handed the knife back along with the bag.   
"And why should we trust you?" Hope asked suspiciously.  
"Because we were once five and then, two days ago when we got here, it was dark and a beast swooped down and carried off Turco." the Reggaeton said. His companions nodded along sadly.   
"I am Clandestina." the Red Troll said. "That's my brother, Yankee." she pointed at the orange Troll, who waved. "He's mute."  
"I am Marley." the first Troll said.  
"And I am Wisin." the green Troll said. Hope was doubtful, but she wouldn't risk going out during the night. She would leave in the morning with Casey and find a way to get back home. At least, she would try to do so. 

And Branch, somewhere near by, was quickly getting all the other Trolls to get in the little hideout he had found, underneath the massive, protruding roots of a tree just as the sun disappeared into the horizon. He didn't know how dangerous the night was here, but he wasn't going to risk a life with his idiocy.  
"Are you okay?" Poppy asked him as he entered and began covering the entrance with massive leaves and smaller pieces of wood. He looked at her eyes, barely seen in the dark but seemingly glowing in the dark. He considered telling the truth, but he needed to stay strong for the others- and for himself.  
"Yeah." he said with a smile. He caught Cacti narrowing her eyes at him. She probably knew that this wasn't true.   
"Good. We will find Hope and the others, I promise." Poppy said with that little optimistic smile of hers. And Branch nearly believed it. He wanted to. But he knew that hoping wouldn't help too much.   
"I hope so. I will take the first watch." he said. Poppy nodded and walked to Suki, who had turned on the little lights on her headphones. Various minutes passed in silence, with the only sound being the outside world and their breathing. Then someone began to sing.

Often I am upset  
That I cannot fall in love  
But I guess  
This avoids the stress of falling out of it

Are you tired of me yet?  
I'm a little sick right now  
But I swear  
When I'm ready I will fly us out of here

Branch glanced back behind him and saw Cacti strumming her banjo gently and singing. The other Trolls were listening to her with rapt attention.

I'll cut my hair  
To make you stare  
I'll hide my chest and I'll  
Figure out a way to get us out of here

Turn off your porcelain face  
I can't really think right now in this place  
There's too many colors  
Enough to drive all of us insane

Are you dead?  
Sometimes I think I'm dead  
'Cause I can feel ghosts and ghouls wrapping my head  
But I don't wanna fall asleep just yet

My eyes went dark  
I don't know where  
My pupils are but I'll  
Figure out a way to get us out of here

Get a load of this monster  
He doesn't know how to communicate  
His mind is in a different place  
Will everybody please give him a little bit of space?

Get a load of this train wreck  
His hair's a mess and he doesn't know who he is yet  
But little do we know the stars  
Welcome him with open arms

Oh  
Time is  
Slowly  
Tracing his face

But strangely he feels at home in this place

Cacti stopped strumming, letting the song fade into silence around her and lowering her head so that her cowboy hat shadowed her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Cacti sang there is called "This is home" by Cavetown.


	5. Morning surprises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which Hope realizes she's not gonna be able to survive without help (and that there are far more Trolls missing than she had expected)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so luckily I was able to post a new chapter today! Cheers!  
> I hope you guys enjoy this!

Hope's eyes flickered open. The small quantity of light that peeked into her eyes made her think that she was sleeping in her little hope, wrapped in one of her softest blankets and waking to a new day. But of course she wasn't. She was in a place nothing like the home she knew, feeling lost and tired and sad and, most of all, scared that she wouldn't be able to see her home ever again. She tried not to think about that last thing as she slowly sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes as she looked around her. Her eyes fell on Casey, who's leg had been cleverly bandage by the mute Yankee. He slept on his back, hands resting on his chest as it slowly raised and fell. She caught herself wishing she were as carefree as the other Pop Troll was, surprising herself. If she were like him, she would probably be in the stomach of a hungry animal. Then her eyes moved around to the other resting Reggaeton Trolls. She leaned her back against the wooden, rough crevice that the Trolls had found, hands clasped together. She considered leaving right there and then, since Casey would slow her down. But she shook this away. She would never forgive herself if something bad happened to the Pop Troll if it were her fault- like before. If she were to leave, she would wake Casey, grab her bag and an extra bandage for Casey and get them both out of there as soon as she could without waking up the other Reggaeton Trolls. And if they were to wake up, she would do the same thing. She didn't trust these Trolls because of what Branch had told her about his encounter with a group himself not long ago. Despite the fact they had helped him in the end, she still felt unsafe trusting them. She quietly got to her feet, looking around for her bag.  
"You're not thinking of leaving now, are you?" she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard Clandestina's quiet voice. The red troll was watching her with lively, bronze colored eyes, head slightly tilted so that her long dreadlocks fell over her forehead.  
"We were going to leave sooner or later." she said with a hostile tinge to her voice. Clandestina arched an eyebrow, mentally swatting the words like a fly.  
"I know. But really, you and your buddy would be better with other Trolls." she said. "This world is not like the one we know and everyone's going to need help."  
"What about those Funk Trolls you mentioned earlier, then?" Hope asked.  
"They wanted to look for a lost friend. We offered they stayed with us but decided to look first." Clandestina said. "And I can't blame them."  
"How do I know that you are not just lying? How do I know that you won't betray us the moment you get to do so?" Hope said.  
"Because the tribes are no longer against one another and I don't want any trouble. All I want is to get back home." Clanestina said in a hard tone. "I want to protect my brother and I want everyone else to get back home too. Same as you, I assume." Hope remained silent. She wondered if the other Reggaeon Trolls were listening to their conversation when she saw Marley's foot twitch.  
"What I can promise is that we will be a lot safer if we stuck together for now." Clandestina continued. "We are in a... weird place. We don't know it's dangers. It will be better if there are more of us to have each other's back. Plus, your friend needs medical attention."  
"Okay, you have a point right there." Hope said, worrying at her lower lip and scratching the back of her head with a sigh. "But only for a day. If it works out, we will stay. If not, it's goodbye."  
Clandestina grinned just as Wisin yawned and slowly sat up, scratching her head. "Welcome to the group..."  
"Hope." Hope said. "My name's Hope."

Branch had stayed up nearly all night. He hadn't wanted to leave the watch to one of the other Trolls (because he wasn't sure if they would be capable of staying awake without starting a musical by themselves...) but Cacti had insisted that he get at least an hour of sleep and had taken over, gently tuning her banjo. Branch had ended up asleep against his own will, exhaustion wining over his paranoia. When he woke up, it was no longer dark in the little hole they had stayed in during the night. small rays of sunlight poked through the leaves he had piled at the entrance. Nearly all the other Trolls were asleep- except Poppy and Cacti, who were sitting by the entrance.  
"Morning." he muttered, sitting up and craving his daily cup of Troll Coffee he usually took. He felt incredibly tired but he tried not to look like it.  
"Hi, Branch!" Poppy said cheerfully, waving. "Cacti is showing me how to play Donkey head!"  
"What's that?" he asked, curious, as he stood and walked over to sit with them.  
"A card game we Country fellas use when trying to settle a dispute." Cacti said. She held a fan of cards in her hand, and so did Poppy.  
"Card game?" Branch echoed.  
"You've never heard of a card game?" Cacti asked, surprised.  
"Ever heard of 'Can't Touch this' by Hammer?" Branch shot back.  
"Okay, fine, I see your point." Cacti said, handing him a fan of cards. "The game is played like this..." 

They spent a long time playing Cacti's odd card game. Branch couldn't help glancing at the leave cover separating them from the world outside. Poppy noticed this.  
"Branch, you look worried." she said.  
"Do I?"  
"Yeah. But we are safe here." the queen said. At this Branch remained quiet. That was the part he doubted.  
"Shall we wake the others?" Cacti asked.  
"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea." Branch said quickly. He gave Cacti back her cards and stood up. Poppy did the worst thing she could do.  
"GUYS! RISE AND SHINE! A NEW, BEAUTIFUL DAY HAS-" before she could finish, Branch had clamped a hand on her mouth.  
"What do you want to do, wake the entire forest?!" he hissed as the others stirred awake.  
"Actually, that's a great idea, Branch!" Poppy said, prying herself from Branch's grip and pulling the leaf cover down. "GOOD MORNIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!" Branch just about kept himself from facepalming, but he couldn't keep the corners of his mouth from twitching. This was Poppy, after all. He snapped back into the reality of the situation and pulled Poppy back in, shutting the entrance again.  
"That was incredibly-" he began to say, but he cut himself off when he heard an odd sound.  
"Amazing? Kind?" Poppy asked. But Branch hadn't been the only one to hear it. So had Biggie.  
"Uh, did anyone else hear that?" he asked. Branch pushed Poppy deeper into their hideout and slowly opened the curtain of leaves, peering outdoors. His heart nearly dropped. Tall, slender figures stood not far from them, but they were dark shapes. He could not make out a detail from them, but he had a feeling that they were dangerous.  
"What is it?" Poppy said, pushing past him- and into the open. She hoped. "Look! They look like Bergens!"  
"Poppy, don't-" Branch stepped out, but the pink Troll was already running away from the hole- away from him. His heart seized up. Those were not Bergens. Forgetting his own safety, he ran after Poppy, fast and loud as his usually quiet feet crunched down on the ground. He reached Poppy and grabbed her arm, pulling her behind a massive trunk. She struggled against his grip.  
"Branch!" she cried out.  
"Shh!" he said desperately. "Those are not Bergens, Poppy."  
"What? But they look like them!" the queen said, in a loud voice that shattered Branch's ears.  
"No, look. And PLEASE don't be so loud." he said. They both peered from behind the trunk. Branch was right. These... creatures looked similar to Bergens, but their skin was not purple or pale and they were much, much, much more taller. There were about three of them in sight, but Branch knew that there were at least another two out of sight, hiding in the forest's vegetation. They had peachy skin (with the exception of one, who had dark brown skin instead) and they wore darkly colored clothes. Their skins were mostly smooth and their teeth were... well, neat. They had smaller noses and eyes. They didn't seem to be speaking, and they held long, black sticks in their hands. Branch instantly knew that it wasn't safe around them. He pulled Poppy back behind the tree and put a small finger to his lips, gesturing for her to remain quiet. Poppy did as he wanted, seeing the urgency and hidden fear in Branch's eyes. She also had the sensation of lack of safety, and when that happ-

There was a sudden, loud snap that made both trolls jump. Poppy found herself clutching Branch's hand, but she didn't dare let go. Both of them silently peered around the tree in time to see the creatures move out of sight and deeper into the forest.  
"Let's get out of here," Branch said, tugging Poppy away from the sight. She obeyed, keeping close to him as they raced to their little hideout where their friends waited with shocked faces.

Not far from there, Hope heard the loud noise too. And so had all the other Trolls. They had been walking along the forest ground, but now they stopped, ears craned to the odd, loud noise.  
"What was that?" Casey asked.  
"We heard one like that yesterday as well. It was followed by a dead bird falling from the sky." Marley explained. "We reached the conclusion that it's no good."  
"It didn't sound very friendly, either." Casey commented.  
"We need to get as far away, then." Hope said.  
"On that one we can agree." Wisin said. But barely before those words left her mouth, a bush rustled. And moments later, a pair of Funk Trolls were sprinting towards them.  
"RUN!" one of them, a lime green Troll with pink stripes and short, purple, deadlocked, hair yelled, as they darted past them.  
"Wha-" Hope's eyes widened as she heard a loud, angry roar that made her heart skip a beat.  
"Go!" Marley was saying, turning to flee after the Funk Trolls.  
"I can't run!" Casey said fearfully. In response, and surprise, the other Funk Troll skid to a stop and ran back to scoop the Pop Troll onto his back, running after his companion into the trees. Hope ran after him as the other Reggaeton Trolls sprinted after them. She could already hear ground-shaking steps coming in their direction and she was glad that the Funk Trolls had warned them. She ran as fast as her little legs could carry, jumping over smaller obstacles and circling the bigger ones. The Funk Trolls, even if they had four legs, had some trouble to run on the unstable ground. Still, with each beat that passed, they slowly got farther and farther from whatever threat was following them.  
"In here!" Marley gasped, diving into a bush. The Funk trolls were quick to follow, and Hope was the last to enter, checking that they had all gone in. Then she went in herself, crawling on the cold earth beneath her hands as leaves caught in her red hair. Marley and Wilsin were busy making a formidable spot for them to hide in, weaving the massive branches and digging in the ground to create a little hollow.  
"That was a close one," the green Funk Troll said, setting Casey down carefully.  
"Spark? What in the WORLD was that?" Clandestina panted, collapsing on the ground.  
"Let's see that hole, they said. It will be fun, they said." the other Funk Troll gasped, legs splayed out like a star as he collapsed.  
"Why do you ask? I have no idea." Spark said, laughing nervously. "I have no idea about this place."  
"Are these the other Trolls you spoke about?" Casey asked, his back leaning on Spark's legs.  
"Yep." Marley said. "Pop Trolls, meet Spark and H."  
"H?" Hope asked.  
"Spelled A-e-c-h," the second troll, who had a dark blue coat with light blue thunder patterns and a mop of dark green hair on his head.  
"Original indeed," Hope said, nodding and plopping down. She then realized that there were far more Trolls going missing than she had expected. 

Branch had heard the roar as well.  
"We need to move on, guys." Cacti said.  
"What?" Tiny Diamond said, "Can't we see what made that noised?"  
"Absolutely not." Guy said, placing him on his head. The trolling grumbled something under his breath, keeping his head poked out of the hairy curtain his father had put him behind.  
"Mr. Dinkles?" Biggie said, turning around. They heard a squeak and Biggie dug Mr. Dinkles from under a pile of leaves.  
"Well, that was fun. Were those Bergens you saw?" Smidge asked Branch and Poppy.  
"Nope. That's why we need to leave now." Branch answered quickly, grabbing his rucksack. Cacti slung her banjo over a shoulder and readjusted her cowboy hat.  
"Let's get going," she said, walking outside. The other Trolls followed one by one, stepping into the dim sunlight. Branch had a feeling that it would be a VERY long day, but really, he was unaware of what would happen later that day. 

"Which way?" Suki asked.  
"Away from the loud noises, obviously." Branch answered.  
"Can't we just get a little peek-?" Tiny Diamond asked, but Guy cut him off.  
"Not unless you want to live, son!" the glitter Troll said.  
"I've ridden a BAT, dad." Tiny Diamond whined. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"  
"Just ignore him." Guy said with a sigh, pushing Little D farther into his hair. They heard a muffled complain coming from the Trolling.  
"Okay, let's go." Branch said, nodding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! That was a LONG chapter! I hope you guys liked it because my arm is aching quite badly now 🤣🤣🤣 But don't worry; I enjoyed writing it *thumbs up* And now, I must go have diner (yay!)


	6. Not alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was reading a Trolls/Smurfs fanfic called The Lost Leaf and I got a little inspiration from it. Plot twist coming up!

Hope kept her hand at the ready, hovering over her bag's flap to get the knife in case of emergency. The other Trolls didn't look too bothered or worried to be walking out in the open and being so loud with each step they took. Hope winced whenever she heard one of their feet produce a sharp, loud crack, ears twitching to catch any other noises that suggested the presence of a predator. To their inmense relief, the only thing that saw them was a bug like creature with long antennae and a black body. But it didn't come near them and that was good. Still, that didn't stop Hope from being a little paranoid. Marley walked ahead of them, followed by Clandestina and Yankee. Aech had kindly offered to carry Casey on his back, so Hope was spared the turture of having to walk with extra weight upon her shoulders. Spark, the other Funk Troll, walked just behind his companion. It was Wisin and Hope who brought up the rear.

They didn't speak as they trecked along the obstacle filled forest floor, keeping silent in order to avoid being heard. Hope wondered how these Trolls (and Casey in particular) were able to avoid singing or dancing. Of course, this was slightly proven wrong when she caught Casey humming a melody, Aech's feet moving to the rythm. Hope sighed, causing Wisin to shoot a glance at her. Trolls were not caable of staying silent, were they?  
So they continued to walk, stopping only so that Spark could give Aech a rest from Carrying Casey. Hope kept specting to run into other Trolls, seeing how radomly they had encountered Spark and Aech. But they did not eun into anything else except theyr surrounding and a few other unsuspecting creatures that either didn't see them or ignored the lot. This led Hope to wonder if the inhabitants of this never ending forest had ran into other Trolls and had become used to seeing the colorful beings running around the forest. 

Soon enough, her feet felt sore and her legs ached. She didn't protest when Marley insisted they all had a rest. 

Meanwhile, not too far away either, Branch was leading the tired (and whining) Trolls along the forest. They hadn't stopped walking for some time, trying to put distance between the Bergen like things and themselves.  
"Can we take a break?" Biggie asked. "I think my legs might fall off if we don't." Branch stopped and turned to look at them. The usually energetic Trolls now looked as drained as a squeezed out berry. He sighed.  
"Fine. But we can't take too long." he said, leading them to the foot of a tree. They plopped down there to rest, taking turns in drinking the little ambersap that they had beought with them from the village. Almost instants later, the others looked a lot better than they had before. Branch was not prepared for what happened next.

"What you doing, sitting at the door of the pub!" a small yet deep voice said, alarming them. Branch jumped to his feet, wildly looking around. "You are scaring my costumers away!"  
A blue creature stepped into view. She wore simple white pants and a t-shirt with a white cap on her head, and she had golden brown hair and sharp, blue eyes. She didn't look too happy.  
"I've been having the same problem for weeks now!" she continued. "What are you lot? A raimbow's ressult of a stomach ache?"  
"I don't know what's making you mad." Poppy said, walking up to the blue creature. Branch wanted to pull her away from it; various what ifs began to storm his head as he walked to stand next to his queen, a hard look in his eyes. "But we mean no trouble."  
The bluette snorted, noting he fact that she was a few inches taller than poppy. "Oh really. I am told that all the time and everytime I am told I loose my patience, you know?" she said, crossing her arms. Branch had the feeling that Poppy might just make it worse, so he gently pushed her back.  
"Look, we really weren't looking for trouble. I don't know what wrong we've done, but we will leave now if you want us to." he said. The bluette arched an eyebrow.

Before she could reply, another blue creature, indentical to this one, poked her head around the tree.  
"Harper?" she asked. "I need help attending the bar. There are a pair of pixies asking for Spark cyder and I can't find it.  
"I'm dealing with costumers right now, Phoebe. You mind waiting a moment or two?" the other bluette said, turning around. The other creature stepped further into view, revealing that she was wearing a plain white dress.  
"Costumers?" Phoebe said, looking at the Trolls. "Can't you deal with them inside? The ARE costumers after all." Harper sighed.  
"The lot of you, after me." she said, turning back to the quiet Trolls. She followed Harper around the tree.  
"Is this a good idea?" Cacti asked doubtfuly.  
"Yep. There's a pub here. We could get something to eat and then be on our way." Suki said, walking after the two bluettes. The next to follow was a doubtful Biggie, and then the rest.  
"Are you sure about this, Poppy?" Branch asked her, grabbing her arm before she could walk after them.  
"I don't think they looked dangerous. They obviously saw the other Trolls, so we could ask for directions!" The pink Troll said, turning to him, "I think they might be helpful."  
"For once, the Troll is right." Cacti said, walking past. Branch had no choice than to follow them. 

Harper and Phoebe waited for them on the other side of the tree. Phoebe placed a hand on the rough bark and pushed. There was a low click and a door line appeared on the bark, surprising Branch. She pushed a door open.  
"Welcome to the Bar of Broken Souls," Phoebe said, standing aside so that Harper could walk through. Branch saw that the interior of the ree had been paetly carved out and that there was a hole in the ground, lit with little colored lights. Harper was entering the hole, which was not much bigger than her, down a flight of wooden stairs. The Trolls went in one by one, Phoebe going last to shut the little door behind them. Branch had to admit that this had been cleverly done. He could hear music coming from under the ground along with raised boices and clinks of glass along with other sounds. Harper dissapeared down a bright landing. The Trolls emerged into a brightly lit, underground pub filled with different creatures, each not bigger than Harper and Phoebe. He could see a lot of other blue creatures as well, all of them dressed in the same manner as Harper and Phoebe. Same white plain clothes and hats. But he could also see other creatures he didn't recognice- as well as a lot of furry animals. And his shock came when he spotted Trolls inside as well.

The room was large, the floor made from wood, and the walls carved from the soil and covered in white matterial. There were many colored lights lighting it, as well as a small stage on which stood a Classical Troll playing a violin.  
"The bunch of you; take seats at any table and I will come to settle matters in a minute or so." Harper said. She then walked to a long wooden bar on one end of the room to speak to a pair of electric blue creatures with dragonfly wings which Branch guessed were the 'pixies' that Phoebe had mentioned before.Phoebe took them to a round table and had them sit.  
"Would you like anything?" she asked, looking at the Trolls. "Sparkling Berrywine for the men and pine cyder for the ladyes? Non alcoholic, I assume?"  
"Um… okay. Sounds good to me." Poppy said, looking around at the others, who were nodding along. As Phoebe left, Poppy leaned sideways on her chair to reach Branch.  
"What is Non alcoholic?" she asked in a loud whisper.  
"I don't know." Branch said. "But hopefully it will be something to keep you all from going absolutely bananas with the music."  
"I like it here." Tiny Diamond said, poking his head out of Guy's hair. "Look at all those thugs-"  
"Now, I think it would be safer for you if you stayed silent," Guys said, raching up and pulling the Trolling onto his lap. 

"Wow! Queen Poppy?" They all looked left or right (depending on where they were sitting) to find a Techno Troll floating there. He had black skin and blue, green and purple neon markings on his wrists and a neon green heart on his chest. As for his tail, it was neon green with the typical Techno marks on it.  
"Uh, yeah." Poppy said. The Techno Troll invited himself to their table, sitting on a vacant chair. Just then, Phoebe returned with their drinks.  
"Here you are," she said, setting them down. "And the sparkling soda you asked for, Glitch."  
"Thanks, Phoebe." the Techno Troll said with a grin as she passed him a bright blue can. He popped the lid open.  
"What brings you all here?" Glitch asked, sipping at his drink.  
"Same as you, I guess." Poppy said.  
"Looking for a place to belong in?" he asked.  
"No. We are looking for some friends of ours." Smidge anwsered.  
"Ah, of course." he said, nodding. "A lot of Trolls have suddenly been showing up here."  
"Aren't you looking for a way to go back home?" Suki asked curiously.  
"This feels like home," the Troll said. "I feel like I trully belong here, unlike in our own world."  
"What?" Poppy said. "But this place is so different from home!"  
"Yes, but these creatures like my music, very much unlike the ones of my kind." he said, somewhat bitterly. Branch had a faint idea of what the Troll meant with these words. He took a sip of his own drink and got a burning sensation at the back of his throat as heswallowed it down. He coughed, setting the glass down.

"Alright, all of you." Harper was back. She pulled up a chair and sat down. "First of all, I want to know why in the world do I keep getting so many colorful creatures at my front door." The song ended as the Classical Troll bowed and flew off the stage, replaced with a funk troll as the crowd applauded.  
"We fell down a hole that left us here. For over a month, many of our Trolls began to dissapear." Poppy explained. "We came looking for our friends and to bring all the other Yrolls here back to our own world."  
"Weird. But sounds true." Harper said. "I am a Smurf and a similar thing happened a few years ago to Papa Smurf and a few others with a portal. Now we can come to the human world if we please and stay all the time we can due to a tunnel that was built."  
"Human world?" Branch asked with a frown.  
"The name of this place. To be more specific, you find yourselves near New York, America." Harper says.  
"What are humans?" Bigfie asked.  
"Big, tall beings who look like us only that different in color and shape. They stand on two legs and also wear clothes." Harper said. Poppy and Branch exchanged a glance.  
"But I am the one asking the questions!" Harper snapped before either could ask anything. "What are you? All the others tell me the same thing: Trolls. But I've met mountain Trolls and they look nothing like you."  
"We are Trolls. Only that we are musical Trolls." Poppy said.  
"Aha..." Harper said. "No wonder they are all so good at singing." They all glanced at the Funk Troll, who was singing something about dogs with another two. Branch found his fingers tapping along with the catchy rythm on the wooden surface.  
"Well, this is the deal. The night is terribly dangerous. All these Trolls do at least Two performances each day in exchange for a meal and shelter." Harper says. "You can stay the night here if all of you sing something. It would be nice to have a change." Branch was about to question this when Poppy smiled.  
"Sure thing!" the queen said.  
"As for you, Glitch, you are up after those three," Harper nodded at the Funk Trolls, who were wraping up their song.  
"Sure thing, boss." the Techno Troll said. Harper nodded and stood up, leaving to attend the other costumers.  
"Poppy!" Branch hissed, turning to her. "Why did you agree?"  
"Well, singing is what we do best! And we will get a place to spend the night," Poppy replied.  
"Poppy has a point on this one." Smidge said, gulping down her drink.  
"These creatures look like they could do with some pop." Suki said, looking aeound at the gathered creatures.  
"I don't know how I will be of help in this one. I specialize in banjo." Cacti said.  
"You can play along," Poppy said, "Plus, you have a lovely voice." Cacti tipped her hat in thanks. Branch sighed, leaning back to sip at his drink. He wondered how Hope was doing and if she was even...  
No, Branch. He told himself. Hope is alibe and you know it.  
He dug his hand into his pocket and took out the little green stone, simply holding it to make him feel better.

The other Trolls were chatyering excitedly about what song they should choose (well, Cacti was mostly sipping at her drink and nodding along), so it was no surprise that Poppy noticed that Branch was keeping (not surprisingly) quiet. Still, the Troll wasn't his paranoid self and he wasn't throwing suspicious glances at the other creatures. She reached out to put a comforting hand on his and their eyes met. An electric feeling cursed up Branch's bloodstream as this happened, slowly sinking into Poppy's eyes. But a loud cheer shattered the momment and they looked at the stage, where Glitch was floating behind an electric music dj table.  
"Welcome to the Broken Soul!" the Techno Troll said. "Who's ready for some music?!" he was anwsered with a lod cheer from the crowd. "I can't heeeeear you!" an even louder cheer. "Now, that's better!"

He began to play a techy kind of music, nodding his head along the beat and one of his hands on his headphones. The crowd was clpping along with the beat and even the other Trolls at the pub were adding in melodies of their own to fit with the music. Branch's fears seemed to momentarily slip away. And even if it was for a moment, it still felt nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Glitch was playing was Astronomia (from the coffin dance meme)


	7. Revealing the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I am feeling bored so I am writing another chapter! Enjoy!

Wisin had had the brilliant idea to take shelter underneath a thorny bush for the night. They had spent at least an hour digging a small cratter to keep well away from the vicious looking thorns, creating a small spot for them to fit comfortably. Hope lay on her side, facing away from the other Teolls. She felt incredibly homesick. She missed her blankets and the quiet of the Troll tree. She missed her little home. She missed her small group of friends. She even missed Branch, who was no doubt looking for her. He didn't show it, but the Troll cared for har a lot more than he let her see. She even missed singing with the other Trolls and strumming her little guitar along with the rythm of the music. She missed everything that she had known before this. She felt tears prick at her eyes and she fought against them. She didn't need them now. She didn't want to deal with more than she could hold in that little heart of hers. But the tears pushed past and slowly tazed their way down her cheeks. She stiffled a sniff and quietly got to her knees, silently crawling out of the bush.

Hope wiped away at the tears furiously, imagining her red hair really was on fire and evaporating the small drops of water along with all her sadness. She glanced up to check that there was no winged creature watching her and she quickly and quietly made her way to the bottom of a tree, sitting down at the roots and hugging her small legs to her chest. She could no longer keep the pained tears off her eyes and they streamed out until there was no more left to cry. She buried her face in her arms and just breathed in, trying ti calm down her heart. Just thinking of home made her teary. She wished she could be there instead of where she was then. That made new tears spring to her eyes, but she was able to keep those at bay, blinking to keep them back. She opened her mouth, feeling a little silly. Hadn't she said oh so many times that singing out her feeling was the kind of things that weak princesses did? Still, she couldn't help mutter the song, which must have been something to do with her DNA. 

Smile, though your heart is aching,  
Smile, even though it's breaking,

She lifted her gaze a little and glanced up to the sky.

When there are clouds,  
In the sky,  
You'll get by,  
If you smile.

Hope was surprised when a voice joined her in the last line. She glanced down and found Casey standing there, leaning on a small stick he had come acros. He must have heard her singing. They looked at each other's shape before Casey continued onto the next line of the song.

Through your fear and sorrow,  
Smile, and maybe tomorrow,  
You'll see the sun come,  
Shining through  
For you.

Casey hobbled over to sit next to her, lowering himself down with a grunt. 

Light up your face with gladness,  
Hide, every trace of sadness,  
Although a tear,  
May be so very near,

That's the time,  
You must say I'm trying,  
Smile, what's the use of crying,  
You, find that life is still worth while,  
If you smile...

The song faded into silence as both Pop Trolls looked up to the sky, which was mostly covered by the dense canopy of leaves in the trees, watching the stars.  
"I thought I would find you outside." Casey said after a long beat of silence.  
"Coudn't sleep." Hope said in response, knees still hugged against her chest.  
"I know." Casey said. "Do you... need to talk about it?"  
"About what?" Hope said.  
"Our situation. Hope, I may be like all the other Trolls and excitable and all that, but that doesn't make me ignorant. It's obvious that there's something you need to say and you are keeping it inside you." His words surprised Hope so much that she looked at him with a frown on her face. She couldn't see him properly in the dark but she could tell he was looking back at her.  
"I might break apart if I do," she said finally, looking away and leaning her head on thes rough bark of the tres they were leaning against.  
"I know that. It has happened to everyone. But it's no good keepng it holed up inside you. It keeps you from feeling other emotions." Casey insisted.  
"You wouldn't understand." Hope muttered. "No one did." Casey remained silent when she said this, but she knew he was quietly urging her to talk about her story- for the first time in years. And as much as she wanted to avoid it, sooner or later that old, little dam of hers keeping it all in would break and everything would come pouring out painfuly. The best she could do for herself was say it. But she didn't know if she would be able to.

"Once upon a time there was a little Trolling." she said in a low voice. "And the little Trolling had a heart far too big for her body. She felt sorry for the Bergens because they were never happy despite they were eating her kin. She thought that a little kindness would change their hearts.  
"One day, the little Trolling climbed outside against her mother's wishes. She was barely ever allowed outside in case a Bergen would snatch her up and eat her. But she still did it because, like I mentioned, she thought that a little kindness would help heal their hearts.  
"The little Trolling spotted a Bergen in the distance and she began singing a song. And of course, she was immediatly heard. As the Bergen approached the tasty little youngster, the parents noticed what was going on..." Hope stopped speaking, shaking as she remembered how her brave mother had pushed her out of harm's way and watched as the Bergen devoured the father, who had tried to distract the Bergen from eating his family. She sgut her eyes tightly, trembling all over.  
"The little Trolling was left without a father. And yet, that big heart of hers refused to accept that Bergens couldn't be changed. But she didn't sing or dance with fear that she would be left without a mother.  
"And then came the day of the escape. As they ran down the tunnel that had been dug out, a blade cut down upon the ground and caught an unsuspecting Troll, breaking his legs alltoguether. The mother made her Trolling run on without her as she helped the injured Troll." Hope paused, remembering the screams and panic that had been all around her that night. "The Trolling reached the other end of the tunnel thanks to her cousin. They fearfully awaited the return of her mother... but they never saw her come out. The little Trolling lived with her cousin for a while until she was able to live in her own home." Hope glanced to look at Casey's form. She found him looking back at her, eyes wide as he listened. When she didn't continue speaking, he exhaled slowly.  
"Do... do you need a hug?" he asked quietly. To his surprise (and her own) she found herself nodding. He opened his arms and she hugged him, sobbs racking her entire body as he rubbed slow, calming circles on her back. 

Casey wasn't sure about to say when she broke apart from him, sniffing and wiping away fallen tears with a hint of embarrasment.  
"Thanks for listening to me." she muttered, voice hoarse.  
"No, thank you from trusting me enough to tell me this." he said. "I will keep it quiet if you want..."  
"I would rather you did. Almost no one knows in the village, but those whi do are kind enough to keep it silent." Hope said, wraping her arms around her thin frame.  
"Hope? Casey?" both of them jumped in shock at the sudden noise. Clandestina stood in front of the bush.  
"Shhh! We are here!" Hope said, getting up and helping Casey to his unstable feet.  
"Oh!" the other Troll said, seeing them. "I just panicked." she said, embarrased, as they walked back.  
"Sorry." Casey said apologetically.  
"No, it's fine. I am glad you didn't get carried off by some nocturn animal, that's all." She said. "Let's go get some sleep, shall we?" The other two nidded as they went back into the bush, settling back down to sleep.

Hope rolled onto her side, curling up around her little messenger bag and creating a little blanket with her hair. Soon, she had fallen asleep along with Clandestina. However, Casey was nestled next to Aech's furry, warm fur and unable to go to sleep as he thought about what he had learned. No wonder the other Troll had often been so... well, afraid of singing. That had gotten her own father killed. No wonder that whenever he tried tosing something while they were walking, she would plead with him to keep quiet. He turned his head to look at the sleeping Troll, frowning.

She was turning out to be far more complex than he had assumed she was. 

He wondered if that little blooming feeling in his chest was love. She hadn't left him behind when she had found him in the odd tunnel only a day ago. No, she had carried him with her because that heart of hers was not too big for her body. In fact, he didn't know how big it was because she was always keeping it hiden behind suspicion and carefulness and what she called sarcasm. 

She was hiding behind a mask that made her look different thatn she really was. And Casey wanted to see the actual Troll behind it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song is called Smile and it is from the Joker.


	8. Elastic heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Featuring Sia's 'Elastic Heart'

Time had slowly passed. Branch hadn't even finished half his drink (it was far too strong for his sore throat) and he had sat quietly, watching musicians play song after song as his friends spoke in loud, excited voices about the song they would play. A bunch of Smurfs had even gone onto the stage and sang an ear scorching, optimistit, far too bright song that made Branch tip backward on his seat with shock. Acording to an exasperated Harper, the song was kind of like the Smurf's anthem. It hadn't been a surprise to find that Poppy had liked the brightness of it (of course she had; wasn't the Pink Troll all for cupcakes, sprinkles and raimbows?). 

As the time went by, and their act drew close, the Pop Trolls finally decided on a song (FINALLY!) and Poppy was quickly assigning parts for everyone to sing. A pair of Rock Trolls finished their song with a loud whoop as the audience clapped and whistled. The pub had slowly been filling up with more and more creatures as the night progressed. Phoebe and Harper were full time passing around drinks and taking orders. The dreaded moment (for Branch) came when Harper aproached their table, carrying a plater with various glass bottles on it.  
"Did you figure out what you will be singing?" she asked.  
"Yeeep!" Poppy said cheerfully, jumping to her feet. The other Trolls, Mr. Dinkles included, stood up.   
"We'll be needing equipment," Cacti said, adjusting her cowboy hat.  
"Sure. It's just beside the stage." Harper said, pointing behing her with a thumb. "Good luck. Let's see how it goes." She leaded them to the stage, balancing the tray easily as she helped them figure out their musical instruments. Poppy had picked up a cowbell (no big surprise her, if you have seen the Troll-apalooza short movie), branch had chosen a guitar, Suki had dibsed on the small Dj desk, and Smidge would be doing the light effects. 

Branch climbed onto the stage after Poppy, nerves fluttering in his stomach like butterflies. As they filled onto the stage, Poppy turned around and gave them a bright, encouraging smile. It calmed Branch's butterflies a little, but he felt MANY eyes on him.  
"We have a new number today, gang!" Harper said, climbing onto the stage as silence fell. It dissapeared again, as the crowd cheered. She held up a hand for quiet. "Enjoy while you can and please do leave a tip for us! No one knows when Papa Smurf will be back to bury us beneath the ground for disobedience!" this got a collective laugh from the crowd as she smiled and climbed back off the stage. A loud silence fell over the pub as all eyes fell on the Trolls on the stage. Branch gripped the neck of his guitar tighter, his muscles tense as he thought of all the things that could happen. However, then Poppy began to sing. And her voice was so sweet he actually felt at peace for a moment.

And another one bites the dust,  
Oh why can I not conquer love?  
And I might have thought that we were the one,  
Wanted to fight this war without weapons...

She paused there, leaving the audience waiting for her to continue. She had sang quietly to build up suspense, pronouncing each word carefully to dig into the meaning. Branch and Cact glanced at each other. This was when they began to strum their chords, and two lines after that, when the others would begin to sing along in different tones. Poppy took a deep breath and Branch and Cacti began to strum their instruments.

And I wanted it, I wanted it so bad,  
But there were so many red flags,  
Now another one bites the dust,  
Yeah let's be clear, I'll trust no one.

"Well, I will." Poppy commented, making the croud laugh. Branch couldn't help smiling. Their eyes met as Poppy continued singing along with the others.

You did it to break me,  
I'm still fighting for peace.

Well, I got thick skin and a elastic heart,  
But your blade-- it might be too sharp,  
I'm like a rubber band until you pull too hard,  
But you won't see me fall apart,  
'cause I got an elastic heart...

As the song continued, Branch was remimded of the days they had lived with fear thanks to the Bergens. He wondered if Poppy had choosen the song to remind them of what they had gone through- that they had gotten out of it alive because they had elastic hearts (not literally, he guessed). As the song faded into quiet strummng and then nothing, they were gifted a wild aplause from the crowd. Branch looked around him at the other Trolls. A spot light turned on just above Guy (Smidge's doing) and sparkles were proyected all around the pub as he twirled on the spot. Branch was caught off guard when Harper gave them an aproving nodd from her spot at the bar. Poppy locked eyes with him and smiled widely, knowing that they had earned themselves shelter for the night.

Hours went by after their performance and they were congratulated by other creatures. Harper and Phoebe had kept their promise, giving thrm a decent meal and a big room to sleep in. Branch was more than grateful. He finally felt like singing had gotten him something useful other than friendships and all that. And he wasn't able to keep the grin that had creeped up on his face off his mouth as creature after creature congratulated them for their talent. Phoebe then went up the path that leaded up the stairs. Almost a few seconds later, she returned.  
"Harper! Get me some rubbing alcohol!" she holered, running back up. Then she returned, the arm of a Reggaeton Troll around her shoulders. His soft, light blue skin was covered in dirt and he had a few cuts all over him. There was dried blood caked on his arms and he looked like he might pass out. Branch got up just as Poppy did, cutting their way along the crowd.  
"He just turned up at the entrance," Phoebe was saying as Harper helped him onto a chair.   
"I can help with the injuries!" Branch said. A small faery pushed past him.  
"I can fix this, she said in a squeaky voice. She waved her hands, fluttering over each cut and wound. The skin slowly mended itself and soon the Troll was nearly fixed save for an ugly scar running down his face that the faery couldn't mend. He jumped to his feet, dreadlocks flying around his face.  
"My friends!" he cried. "They need help!"   
"Whoa, calm down!" Harper said, stepping in front of him. "Wht's your deal?"  
"My name is Yuri and I need ro find my friends!" he said with insistance. "They could be in danger!"   
"What are their names? They could be here." Phoebe said.  
"Marley, Wisin, Clandestina and Yankee."


	9. A "stroll" in the dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today I am feeling quite restless, so I have decided to post a new chapter! Please let me know your feedback in the comment 'cause I must know if I am leading the story well. {>_<}  
> /| |\

Hope's eyes snapped open. She slowly sat up tiredly, dragging a hand down her face and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She glanced up and saw through the leaves that the moon was still up. She wondered when the sun would rise up to take the Moon's place. She then looked around at her sleeping companions, and as her eyes landed on Casey's sleeping form, she remembered the events that had happened earlier. She felt her face burn with shame. The Troll had seen her cry. And he had HUGGED her. She buried her head in her dirty hands and realized this fact about them, quickly cleaning them on her already dirty pants. She patted her hair, peeling for any leaves that she could take out. One thing was clear; her red curls were filled with knots and dirt she hadn't even known had been there. She suddenly felt disgusted. Really, she hadn't noticed this before?

The redish Troll then wondered why she had woken up. It had been quite sudden. She listened hard for any noises, but found none. She grunted softly, pushing herself to her knees and crawling out of the bush and out into the sort of open area of the forest. She stood up, trying not to make a crunching noise with her feet, and looked around her. She gkanced up to the sky and noticed that the stars were already dissapearing as the black void slowly brightened. She was glad that the day came. That would mean moving forward to what she hoped would be home- or farther away from home. She gritted her teeth and pushed that possibility away from her mind. As she was about to turn, something caught her eye. She narrowed her eyes, frowning. Thrn she saw a dark figure scurry along the forest ground.  
Another Troll. 

Hope glanced back at the bush her new friends were asleep in. Sighing, she followed the Troll, keeping as quiet as she could. Hours of walking along the forest ground had made her realize which spots and leaves would crack the most, but it was dark enough that she couldn't really see the forest floor. Still, her chest filled with pride when she found that she was quieter than when she had arrived here a few days ago. She followed the little figure, her heart beating quickly. She wanted to shout a hello, but maybe it wasn't a Troll and it could be something similar to one. Still, she kept at a safe distance, following as quickly but silently as she could. Once or twice, the shape's head turned as if it had heard Hope's feet, but just as Hope told herself that she had been seen, the creature continued it's journey. She followed it for a long time, keeping track of the way back to the bush. The worst thing that could happen to her was that she wouldn't find her way back.

The creature finally slowed down, and Hope slowed down as well, keeping herself hidden behind a tree. She peered around the trunk to watch the Troll stop in front of a thick tree. It glanced around to check that it was alone (but of course it wasn't) and then, to Hope's amazement, pressed a hand against the tree's surface, pushing a small door open. The Troll entered and she saw various colored lights winking at her from inside. And then the door closed quierly and she was left staring at a bare tree trunk. She stepped out from cover and cautiously aproached the door. Sumoning all her courage, she pushed at the trunk and the door popped open.  
"I KNEW I was being followed!" she jumped back, shocked, as the figure walked to stand at the door. It was a creature she had never seen. It had looked lik a Troll at first because it was her hight, but now, standing before him, she realized that his skin was blue, he wore plain white pants and shoes, and a vest and hat to match. She backed away a step, regreting not having brought her messenger bag with her.  
"Who are you?" she asked in what she hoped was an intimidating voice.  
"Who are YOU? A raimbow's droppings?" the creature shot back, crossing his arms.  
"NOYB."  
"What does that mean?"  
"None of your bussiness."  
Mr. Blue creep harrumphed. "Why were you stalking me, eh?"  
"I wasn't stalking you!" Hope said angrily. Before the blue thing could say anything else, the door opened wider and he was gently pushed out of the way by a creature who looked similar, only that she was wearing a plain white dress and she had golden brown locks cascading over her shoulders.  
"Excuse my brother," she said apologetically, shooting an annoyed look at him, "he suffers of paranoia."  
"And apparently rude-titis." Hope muttered, scowling at him. He returned it with a little more fire.  
"Anyways, come in. It's dark and not safe." the creature said, moving aside. Mr. Blue creep muttered something under his breath before moving away and descending down a staircase leading down. Hope entered and found that it was pleasently nice and warm in here. She wondered if she should get Casey and the others to come.  
"What is this place?" she asked. The blue creature frowned.  
"You are not from around here, are you? This is a pub, the Broken Soul." she anwsered.  
"Oh, okay." Hope said, noticing the music- familiar music thatpainfully reminded her of home- and the loud voices coming from the bottom of the stairs.  
"Would you like a drink?" The blue creature asked.  
"Uh, sure." Hope said, following her down a short flight of stairs.

She was amazed with the strocture of the pub. It was crowded and there was a stage on which a group of Trolls were singing a song. She found her foot tapping along with the rythm.  
And then her mouth fell open.  
Because...  
It couldn't be.  
That was Branch singing on the stage alongside Poppy. 

Hope stood there, absolutely paralized. She felt her heart beat faster than ever but she couldn't will her muscles to move. She didn't have to. Branch's eyes moved along the crowd, and as if thanks to some magnet, they landed on Hope's shocked ones. He stopped singing at once, eyes widening. The mike he was holding dropped out of his hands, landing with a loud BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP that made everyone cover their ears and the music stop. Branch jumped of the stage, pushing his way through the crowd to get to his cousin. He reached her and wordlessly hugged her half to death, making her yelp in shock and then laugh, tears falling down her cheeks and he hugged him back, shocked. This HAD to be a dream. It was... it was a mirical. Branch pulled back from her.  
"I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THE FOREST!" he shouted, making Hope flich. He hugged her again, tears of his own prickling at his eyes.  
"Branch! I told you we would find her!" Poppy said, running up to them. Hope was so glad and so shocked and emotional that she ended up acepting a hug from Poppy as well, openly sobbing. The other Pop Trolls gathered around them, taking turns hugging her as well. Tears spilled from her eyes. She had found them! She would be home soon enough! 

Then herveyes landed on a Reggaeton Troll who was sitting alone at a table, hands over his face.  
"Branch, w- who's that?" she asked.  
"Oh, he's also looking for some friends of his." Poppy said. "Hey, we should sing a song to celebrate that Hope is back!" but on that precise momment, Hope had bolted, sprinting up the stairs, opening the door and running out into the cold night. Shr had to get her friends! She could her Branch calling for her to come back, and then he was running after him. She was fast, running full tilt to the thorny bush that the others were hiding in. But us she got there, she found that she wasn't the only one. A large, furry animal was sniffing at the bush, and she could hear her friends terrified shouts.  
Hope stopped running.  
The animal stopped, swinging its head back to look at her with yellow eyes.  
She remembered it from her first day. How it had killed that other smaller creature with a twist of its jaws. Terror paralized her for a momment before the animal turned to face her and she willed her limbs to move, scrambling away from the beast.  
A wrong foot step sent her rolling to a stop on the ground.  
The animal closed in on her, growling, as she flipped onto her back.  
And then Branch was there, using his taik as a whip, forcing the creature to back away as it tried to dodge.  
"Get up and run!" Branch cried, slashing once more at the creature. Hope scrambled to her feet, but she didn't abandon her cousin. And anyways, the creature was already retreating, seeing that it's prey was not an easy treat to catch. Branch stood there, panting. He slowly turned to her.  
"When will you EVER stop running into trouble? LITERALLY?" he asked her. Before she could anwser, they heard a rustle. Branch turned around again but it was Casey crawling out of the bush with the help of Marley.

"Casey!" Hope said, pushing past Branch and hurrying to help the Reggaeton Troll with him.  
"Where were you?" Marley asked her.  
"I found my cousin." she replied, nodding at Branch, who was hurrying over to help them.  
"MARLEY!" they all turned around in time to see the Reggaeton troll who had been at the pub collide with Marley, knocking him to the ground.  
"What the- Juri?!" Marley roared, hugging him back. The other Reggaeton trolls emerged with amazed cries, joining in.  
"Who are they?" Branch asked.  
"Clandestina, Wisin, Yankee and Marley." Hope replied, a smile on her face. Aech and Spark stumbled out of the bush.  
"Uh, what did we miss?" Aech asked sleepily. Hope laughed with relief. She had found Branch.  
They would get back home.  
Everything would be normal again.

Well. Except...


	10. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha, last chapter had a great plot twist, am I right?   
> And in less than a week, we are already at the tenth chapter. Time passes quickly, am I right?

Hope sat at a table in the pub next to Branch, holding a glass jug in her hands to keep them from shaking.  
"So... you don't know how we will get back home?" she asked, trying to hide her dread.   
"No. But I am sure we will find a way," Smidge said, patting her shoulder. She and the smaller Troll had gotten on well ever since Hope was a Trolling. Hope sighed, biting her lower lip.  
"Perhaps Papa Smurf could help you." Phoebe said suddenly. Harper's head snapped around, and so did their brother's, Grumps (that was not his actual name, but his sisters called him that).   
"Are you mad?" Harper cried. "Because I am pretty sure that he doesn't miss us at ALL."  
"Yeah, but..." Phoebe sighed. "I am sure that he would help them go back home. We don't even have to take them to the village, sis."   
"For once, I agree with Harper." Grumps said, crossing his arms. Hope snorted.  
"You are just saying that out of spite." she said. If glares could kill, the one Grumps threw her would have done the trick. She glared right back.   
"Let's not get mad, shall we?" Biggie said, eyes darting back and forth. Branch put a hand on Hope's shoulder and she tensed. Finally, she looked away, rolling her eyes and leaning back with a scowl on her face.  
"Well, I am sure everything will turn out well and we will get to go back home!" Poppy said with that infectious smile of hers on her face. Branch's mouth's corners tilted up an inch, but he stilled them again. Hope was the only to notice this and she made a mental note to use this as a taunt later on when needed. Still, she thought that it was pretty cute that her cousin was pinning on Queen Poppy. She looked around her, wondering if anyone else was aware of this. However, they were all too worried to even notice.  
"Sure. Let's dig our way back up." Branch said, sarcastically. "I'm sure we will get home that way."  
"He's being sarcastic." Hope added, nodding to her cousin.  
"Thank you." he replied. "We are going to need a lot of luck and wisdom to find the way back home. And it won't be an easy task. And we need to get all the Trolls together to make sure no one is left behind."  
"Yeah, about that." Glitch had sidled up to them, floating next to the table with a bottle in his hand. "that's going to be even harder than finding a way back home."  
"What do you mean?" Suki asked with a curious frown.  
"Well, one, I know how to get you all back to our world." Glitch said.  
"AND YOU COULDN'T HAVE TOLD US THIS EARLIER, COULD YOU?" Branch said loudly. Glitch flinched.  
"Um... that's a good question." he said in a quiet voice that nearly got drowned out by the crowd. "But... I am afraid that there are also Trolls in New York city. I ran into a few the other day wile I went to get supplies from a Troll who sells wines and other drinks. And I think that there must be even more in the woods." he said. Poppy exchanged a look with Branch.  
"We need to get 'em back before it's too late!" Cacti said, getting to her hooves and stomping one.   
"It's too late to go out now, Country troll." Grumps said. "Not unless you want to risk getting caught by Gargamel."   
"Gargawho?" Hope said, leaning forward an inch.  
"He steals away Smurfs. Papa Smurf had to even move away the Smurf village because of him." Phoebe explained.  
"He sounds cool. Can we go see him?" Tiny Diamond asked.   
"Is that your child?" Harper asked Guy Diamond. He nodded. "Well, you should probably educate him better."   
"But... why only in the night?" Branch asked.  
"Not only in the night. He also turns up during the day, but he's mostly shut up in his castle with his devil of a cat." Grumps explained.  
"Ooookay. I guess we can deal with him if we run into him." Poppy said, clearly her carefree self as always. It took all the energy for Branch not to roll his eyes.   
He took a deep breath in. "Poppy," he said slowly. "We just can't dance our way into whatever this place is."  
"Are you quoting Lord of the Rings?" someone from another desk asked.   
"Wha- Mind your own business!" Branch said. The other creature raised its hands in defense and turned away from Branch, muttering something.  
"The point is... we need a plan," he said, making it sound dramatic without really meaning to. "because we can't just jump into it without thinking." There was a short silence.   
"I think that that was Poppy's plan." Hope said, glancing at the pink Troll.   
"Uh. No. Maybe." she smiled nervously with a giggle. 

There was a loud THUMP and a few dust particles fell from from the ailing and the entire pub fell silent.  
"Phoebe, hit the lights!" Harper hissed at her sister. The Smurf jumped up from her seat and ran to a small electric panel, popping it open and flipping the switches. The only lights remaining were the smaller, colored light gloves, which had been lit with actual candles. The entire pub remained silent, hearing the thumps from the ceiling. Grumps disappeared up the staircase and then returned a few beats later.  
"Human!" he said, loud enough that the rest of the pub heard him.   
"What's a human?" Hope asked Branch in a whisper.  
"Things that live here. They look like Bergens only that more different." he answered, glancing up at the ceiling. Part of the creatures in the pub had used their magic to disappear from sight (and probably from the pub).   
Soon the roof stopped spilling dust and it was quiet once more. Harper had climbed onto the stage, throwing her golden brown hair over her shoulder.   
"Everyone, calm down!" she said in a loud voice. The pub fell into silence once more. "That was unexpected, but I am sure that they were just passing by! Phoebe, can you please turn the lights back on?" In response, the lights switched on.   
"Grumps, go check if they are really gone." Harper said. Her brother ran backup the stairs. He returned a few moments later.  
"They are gone for now!" he called.   
"Good. Let's not let the appearance of humans stop our fun!" her confidence was so realistic and believable that she got a cheer in return as she jumped off the stage and called another musical number onto the stage. As the music began, Harper returned to their table.   
"We need to get back to work. There's going to be a big quantity of drinks to be passed around now, I am afraid." she nodded at them and hurried away to the bar, calling for Phoebe and Grumps to help her out take the sudden orders of different creatures around the pub. Soon, everything was like it had been before. 

"We need to know what we will do to find those missing Trolls." Branch said. "Glitch, you said you know how to get back to the Trolls' world?"   
"I do." the Techno Troll affirmed.  
"In that case, you will be taking Hope, Casey and Tiny Diamond back home." he said. Hope's mouth dropped open.  
"What?!" she and Tiny Diamond said at the same time. They heard a sound of the kind coming from Casey, who was sitting a few tables away being fixed up by a faery.  
"What you heard." Branch said, looking at her with hard eyes. "I don't need you getting hurt, and Tiny Diamond is too young. As for Casey, he is injured. Anyone else who wants to go with them is welcome." he said to the other Trolls gathered.  
"But- that's not fair!" Hope exploded, jumping to her feet. "I won't sit at home and wait for you to come back!"   
"Too bad, because that is what you'll be doing." Branch said. She squared her jaw, breathing heavily, heart beating. No. This couldn't be happening.  
"I can't!" she hissed.  
"You can and you will. Glitch?" he looked at the Techno Troll.  
"I'll do it." he said, looking at Hope with an apologetic gaze.   
"Dad? Please let me stay." Tiny Diamond said.  
"Branch's got a point about you. Sorry, lil' pal." the glitter Troll said.  
"You have to be serious!" Hope said angrily, sitting back down and burying her face in her hands.  
"It is the only way." Branch said. She heard sadness in his voice, but she knew he wouldn't change his mind.  
He had always thought her to be small and fragile, unable to protect myself.  
Well, he was VERY wrong about this. 

And they left.  
Branch had left her behind. She glanced at Glitch, who was speaking to Harper. Grump had left with Branch and the others to show them the way to the village. Her cousin had left word to tell all Trolls who stopped by to wait in the pub for them to return so they could go home. She walked to where Casey was sitting with Tiny D perching on his head, passing the other Trolls who were getting ready to leave.  
"Are you guys up for a crazy, dangerous plan?" she asked with a grin. Casey's leg was heeled and ready for use.   
"Ha. I knew you wouldn't give up." Casey said, grinning up at her. She felt something like content and pride stir in her chest. She had expected this reaction from the other Troll, but she was still relieved that he wouldn't try to stop her. She had her messenger bag slung over a shoulder and she quickly told them her plan.   
"Okay! Are you all ready to leave?" Glitch said through a mike. The gathered Trolls cheered. That meant yes. Hope and Casey sidled up to the Reggaeton group.  
"Hey, we are going to miss you." Hope told them. "Even though we met, like, a few days ago. Still, you saved us."  
"No problem." Wisin said with a smile. "You brought Yuri back to us."  
"Yeah, thank YOU." Clandestina said, punching Hope's shoulder friendly. Marley gave them a hug and Yankee saluted them. Yuri was last.  
"I know we don't know each other, but I am forever glad you leaded me to my friends." he said with a smile.  
"It's alright. Thanks." Hope said, high-fiving him. The Trolls began to fill outside, following Glitch. Hope waved to Harper and Phoebe and they waved back. Then they were stepping outside.   
"Ready?" Hope muttered to Casey and Tiny D, who was hidden inside Casey's hair.  
"Ready." both of them said. Hope nodded.   
And then they disappeared into the cover of a few bushes. It wouldn't be long before someone noticed they were gone, but they would be running after the others towards whatever New York City was. Hope had packed a bottle of juice and some plain bread in case they didn't find the others before sunset. But she was positive they would.   
"This is so exciting!" Casey said, sprinting after Hope.  
"Just keep quiet and run." Hope told him. She heard Tiny Diamond laugh.  
"I like this one!" he said, voice muffled by Casey's curtain of hair.  
"On that we can agree, little man." Casey muttered only loud enough for himself to hear, cheeks reddening a little under his turquoise skin. They dived into another set of bushes, pushing the branches and leaves away as they ran. Hope could feel her heart thumping with excitement. Oh, the face Branch would put when he saw her!  
"This way!" she said, bursting out of the bushes. Casey followed after her, feeling free to be able to run after so long.  
"Look! That's them," he said, pulling at Hope's arm and crouching behind a trunk. They both peeked out (Tiny D did as well) and were able to see the other Trolls walking along the forest floor.   
"Now we silently follow them. We will appear when night comes." Hope whispered.  
"Sounds like a good plan." Casey said, nodding.   
"I'm glad neither of you are obedient in this moment." Hope said, ruffling Tiny D's hair with a smile on her face.

There was a sudden crack behind them, making them freeze. They slowly turned around to see a colossal creature standing behind them, looking down at them with eveil looking eyes.  
"RUN!" Hope howled, jumping over the trunk and pulling Casey along. The animal yowled, running after them. But Trolls are quick.  
"RUUUUN!" Hope screamed at the other Trolls. Branch turned around with shock, and when he saw the thing chasing his cousin he shouted something in kind and the other Trolls began to run. Hope reached Branch and he ran next to her.  
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" he shouted at her as they ran.  
"YOU DIDN'T SERIOUSLY EXPECT ME TO STAY PUT, DID YOU?!" she shouted back.  
"THIS IS NO TIME TO ARGUE!" Poppy shouted from the front.   
"THIS WAY!" Grumps was shouting, diving into a thorny bush. The Trolls followed him in. Hope got in time, turning around to help Casey in. And just in time. The creature hissed, pawing at them. Hope screamed, but Branch pulled them back just as the creature's clawed paw reached the spot they had been standing on.   
"In you go!" Grumps was saying. He had opened a hidden trapdoor and was diving in. The Trolls were quick to follow after him. Branch pushed Hope towards the opening and she slid in to find herself sliding down a smooth, dirt tunnel. She heard Casey shouting out behind her and Branch's cry as he jumped in after them. Hope actually found this fun, throwing her arms up and whooping. Tiny Diamond went sliding past her and she was quick to snatch him, placing him on her head.   
"WOOHOO!" he shouted with glee. And then they feel into nothing. Hope found herself landing on a pile of leaves just like she had a few days before. She slowly stood, moving out of the way as Casey fell down next to her. She rolled off the pile to find that the tunnel was not dark at all. There were a few lights set on the walls, casting small but warm circles of lights.   
"Welcome to the Smurf tunnel to New York." She heard Grumps say.


	11. Welcome to NYC

Branch had never been so angry in his life. Never. He was mad at Hope for not listening to him, at Casey for listening to her and at Tiny Diamond for listening to both of them. WHY couldn't Hope keep out of things for once?! He had been positive that this time, she wouldn't be running into certain danger. But OF COURSE she had had to go chasing after them! OF COURSE she had had to drag another two into this as well! Branch gritted his teeth, feeling very much like shouting out in anger. NO ONE seemed to EVER listen to him and that made him FURIOUS.  
"For the Sun's sake, calm down!" Hope said, equally angry. "Look, I get it, but you have to stop worrying! I am FINE!"  
"Are you ever going to stop making my heart seize every time you run headfirst into danger?!" Branch cried, throwing his hands up to show his distress. "I tell you to do something but you NEVER listen, Hope! I am TIRED of it!"  
"Well, I am tired of you acting like a babysitter! I can take care of myself just fine!" Hope shouted back.  
"Every time you do that, you get even WORSE at it!"   
"THEN HOW IS IT THAT I AM STILL ALIVE?!"   
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"   
"Hey, guys! Calm down!" Poppy pushed her way in between them, holding both hands out to keep them from raging out at each other. Everyone else was staring openly. It was as if they had never seen a family quarrel (Branch bitterly guessed that it was because they were OH SO HAPPY GOING), eyes widened and mouth slightly open. The only one who didn't look surprised was Grumps. But then, Branch barely knew him. He must have many fights with his sisters.

"He's the one who has to cool down!" Hope said, jabbing a finger at Branch.  
"Oi!" the other Troll said, starting forward.  
"Branch! This is no time for fights!" Poppy said, turning to face him. He stopped, her eyes pinning him in place. He hated that she was able to do that to him. He glared right back as Poppy gently pushed him away from his heavily-breathing cousin, who's stare, in another world, might have been able to kill.   
"This is no time for fights, guys." Poppy repeated, glancing at the two of them. "We need to find those missing Trolls soon and then get back home."  
"Hope, Casey and Tiny Diamond were supposed to be there by now!" Branch said, glaring at Hope. She glared right back, hair bristling.  
"Don't start on-" she began to say, but it was Casey's hand that landed on her shoulder, quieting her almost instantly.  
"We wanted to help." Casey said, trying to get Branch to understand. "We didn't want to be left behind, twiddling our thumbs wile we waited for you to come back. That wouldn't have been fair."  
"This doesn't have to do with what's fair or not fair, Troll." Grumps said, all eyes moving to him. His gaze was hard as he looked at Casey. "New York is teeming with Humans and monsters."  
"I didn't know about the monsters." Poppy said, looking at the Smurf.  
"They are the least of your worries, trust me. But they will go after the young ones if they are left unattended." Branch instantly pitied whatever Trolling had fallen down a hole and ended up at whatever New York was. "And you need to know what places to avoid, since they live all over the city. And I won't even start on the animals living there."  
"See?!" Branch said, turning to Hope. "See why you should have gone back home?"   
"Monsters won't keep me from saving those in need. And plus, Branch," she grinned, "didn't you tell me that a load shared was a load halved?"  
"That doesn't have to do with-"  
"Still, you get the point. We are coming whether you like it or not." Hope said firmly. Seeing that she wasn't going to budge (a quality she and Branch shared), Branch groaned in frustration.  
"Fine! But you have to listen to EVERYTHING I say, understood?" he said. Hope imitated mock seriousness.  
"Yes, yessir." she said, with a salute. She heard a low laugh come from Grumps and a snort from Tiny Diamond.  
"That's settled, then!" Poppy said. Guy Diamond picked up his son, placing him on his hair. Suki switched on the pink lights on her headphones, adjusting her colorful (and dirty) top. Biggie found himself gripping Mr. Dinkles tightly and he muttered an apology to the poor worm. Cacti shouldered her banjo, adjusting her cowboy hat and throwing back her brown curls. Grumps leaded the way down the tunnel and they slowly followed after him. Poppy was the only one who didn't seem a little nervous. No, the pink Troll was skipping along, not noticing that Branch kept close behind her, having pulled out his pointed stick. And Hope and Casey walked near at the back.  
"Well done," Casey said, holding up his hand. Hope high-fived him with a grin.  
"My specialty: most of the time, at least, getting away with things." she said, looking away from him. Casey chuckled, happy to have his leg back. 

Grumps leaded the way all the time, Branch and Poppy just behind him. Then the tunnel began to curve up, then down, then left, left again... Hope felt like they were walking in circles. This was proved wrong when the tunnel continued to go up and up.   
"We are close now!" Grumps called back.   
"Good! I was getting impatient." Hope muttered to Casey.  
"I know what you mean." he replied. And he bumped hard into Biggie, who yelped, "Oh! Sorry, Biggie!"   
"It's fine," Biggie said nervously, "I'm just..."  
"Nervous?" Casey asked, looking up at him.  
"Yeah." Biggie said. They turned their attention as they heard Grumps tapping a metal surface. Or at least, that's what it sounded like. 

Grumps had his ear to a metal trapdoor, listening. He then nodded to himself, slowly pushing up. The trapdoor raised an inch, then a little more, as the Smurf peered out.   
"Coast is clear," he whispered, pushing the trapdoor up and clambering out into the sunlight. He held a hand out for Poppy to take and then pulled her out. Branch was quick to follow and then they helped the other Trolls to climb out (hardest to get out was Biggie due to his size). Hope helped them get Casey out, who later stretched out a hand for her to grasp. She did, and he pulled back with the help of the others. And Hope got her first look of what she supposed was New York.  
It was empty.  
It was nearly quiet.  
It was filled with massive things.  
Dude, it was GRAY.  
"I though you said it was teeming with Humans." Branch told Grumps, who looked equally confused.  
"I wasn't lying. It's usually quiet loud out here." he said with a confused voice.   
"Strange. Let's go." Poppy said, walking forward. They heard a hiss and Poppy jumped back as a big furball stalked towards them, one eye white as milk and the other yellow and hungry. And man, it was THIN. Like, you could have seen it's bones poking on it's skin.  
"It's Okay, Castian!" Grumps said, stepping forward with his arms raised. The creature stopped, head tilting.  
"Grumps?" it said in a hissy, hoarse voice.   
"Yes, friend, it's me." Grumps said, walking forward.   
"I mistook them for mice. But then, I don't recall mice being so... bright." Castiel said, ears rotating.  
"No, they are not mice and very less food." Grumps said.   
"Ah, pity. I haven't eaten since yesterday. Humans won't feed a suffering cat a scrap of meat these days. Won't even answer to my calls!" the feline huffed, hair standing on end.  
"Oh, I can fix that." Hope pushed her way past the Trolls, digging into her bag for the bread. Branch didn't notice this at first, but when he saw his cousin walking towards the big, scary animal, his heart lurched. Still, it was too late anyways. Hope pulled out the bag of bread and pulled out what was inside it, holding it out for the animal. It was not too big, but the 'cat' seemed relieved. He delicately took the bread from her hands with his mouth and ate it in one chew.  
"Thank you." the animal said. "It's been hard days for lone animals like us."   
"Must be! I can see your ribs." Hope said, nodding to his thin sides. The animal sighed.  
"Not much a nearly blind cat can do about that, I am afraid." he said, looking at them. "I live on scrawny mice and whatever scraps I can scrounge up. Barely anything to please my stomach, I am afraid." Castiel said.   
"We need to leave, Cas." Grumps said. The can nodded.  
"Nice to speak to you." It purred. And then it turned and slipped away.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack!!!  
> I am so sorry I wasn't able to post any earlier, but lately I've been focussing on the TCR Birthday Batch and I lost track of time. Hopefully you guys accept this as a apology* 0(T^T)0   
> *Or maybe you would like some virtual cookies?

Branch was on edge. Not the usual on edge. His ears wouldn't stop twitching and he kept getting new, unpleasant smells.  
This wasn't home at all.  
"And where exactly is this place we are supposed to be going to?" he asked quietly. Grumps turned his head to peer at him, his eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hat's brim.  
"You keep asking. We are close." he replied. Branch was about to ask how close were they exactly, but he got a nudge from Hope, who quietly shook her head. He pursed his lips, tossing the stone he was holding from side to side.   
"Will you stop doing that?" Hope whispered. "You are making me uncomfortable with all that tossing."  
"I thought you already were?" Branch retorted. Hope wanted to argue, but she knew it was pointless anyways. Casey patted her shoulder reassuringly, feeling just as uncomfortable as the rest. For a little while, they continued to walk in silence. 

"Okay, we are here." Grumps said after a while.  
"What? Where?" Branch asked. In response, the Smurf walked over to a wall and knocked twice, then once, then four times and then clapped the same hand twice. He stood back, waiting. The wall seemed to waver as a line appeared on the wall, forming an arch. The wall swung open like a door and another Smurf poked his head out. This one jad muscles and tatoos all over his arms.  
"Look," he told Grumps when he saw him, "I said quite clearly that I still need to restock on drinks, 'kay?"   
"That's not what I am here for." Grumps grumbled, "But we are still waiting for those drinks."  
"Fine, fine. What are you here for, then?" the other Smurf asked.  
"Well, have you seen other creatures like these?" Grumps moved aside to let him see the Trolls gathered behind him. The other Smurf whistled.  
"Actually, yes I have. Follow me if you would like." he ducked back inside and the rest filled in after him. Grumps shut the door as the other smurf slid open a section of the wall to reveal a small knob, placing his hand on it and turning it to open yet another hidden door. Branch couldn't help feeling impressed by the mechanism.  
"In we go." the smurf said, waving them in and stepping after them. On the other side of the foor there was another knob which he turned, the door sliding shut.  
"Ei, you can come out of your hiding spots now!" he said. One by one, another three trolls (two of them Rock, the other being a country troll) popped out.  
"Cowbell?!" Cacti said, stepping forward. "Is that you?"  
"SIS! OMG, I MISSED YOU SO SO SO SO MUCH!" the other troll barreled into Cacti, hugging her tightly.   
"Me too." Cacti said, shifting her banjo so she could properly hug the other Troll.  
"Lovely family reunion," Grumps grumbled, "but we need to leave soon."  
"Wouldn't you like something to drink first?" the other Smurf asked, "I tried getting info out of these creatures but they wouldn't stop babbling about how pretty my tattoos are."  
"That..." Branch began to say, aiming for the 'we are in a hurry' reason.  
"Would be awesome!" Poppy cried.   
Branch sighed.  
Here she went again.

**Author's Note:**

> I need to know if you guys aprove of this. I am open to any suggestions anyone might have or any ideas. Anyways, I encourage feedback!


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